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Lv 7
? asked in Social SciencePsychology · 9 years ago

Has anyone else noticed this illusion, or is it just me?

You are on a train, sitting by the window. The train comes to a halt at a station, and you have the distinct impression that the carriage is moving very slowly backwards.

I have noticed this many times and always thought that the carriage was actually rolling backwards. I was on a train yesterday and I noticed this, and I finally realised what it is. Your brain gets used to the scenery outside the windows moving backwards, relative to the train. When the train stops moving your brain is so used to scenery moving backwards that it interprets the now stationary scenery as moving forward. That's what gives you the impression that the train is moving backwards.

I tried googling this illusion and couldn't find any reference to it. I wondered if anyone else has noticed it?

2 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    That is a very good observation! It is most likely true, but other possibilities could be, that the train actually does back-up a little when it stops, or that the train stops and gets jerked back from the sudden change in speed. But your observation sounds the most likely.

  • Anonymous
    6 years ago

    its just you

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