This mirror optical illusion is a total glitch in the matrix

It's no secret that we are big fans of optical illusions here at Creative Bloq, but this mind-boggler is, well, utterly baffling. Sometimes we see illusions that are so good that they make us believe in the impossible – like today's brain-frazzler that people are calling "a glitch in the Matrix". 

A video has gone viral on TikTok for pointing out the fact that if you stand in front of a mirror and look down, you can still see your feet reflected, even if the mirror doesn't reach the floor). The video has accumulated over 4,500,000 views and it seems as though the internet is just as perplexed as we are. Feeling confused but fancy diving into some more illusions? Make sure you check out the roundup of our all-time favourite optical illusions.

@kyliekathleen88

♬ original sound - user3392376879325

If you're already standing in front of your mirror and wondering how on earth the illusion works, then you're in luck (don't worry, it's not actually a glitch in the Matrix). According to Physics Classroom, "The law of reflection states that when a ray of light reflects off a surface, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection," which essentially means the closer you stand to your mirror, the more you can see reflected, including your feet. 

Despite there being a logical explanation to the illusion, there are still some people (like us) who can quite believe the illusion. One user commented on the TikTok, "For some reason, my brain just cannot wrap my head around this" and another said, "I get it, but I don't".

For a second there, we thought we were part of some unexplainable parallel universe. This reminds us of The Phantom Queen illusion where it looks as though the queen chess piece vanishes in the mirror. If you're loving these illusions and fancy designing your own, then check out the best Adobe Creative Cloud discounts and get creating.

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