You probably don’t know what colour traffic lights really are

This TikToker is making us question everything we ever thought we knew

A TikToker has baffled users by suggesting that traffic light colours aren't what they appear to be. Red, amber, and green are of course the colours of the traffic light system that we have all observed our entire lives - or at least, that's what we thought. Until now... According to TikToker Dean Jackson, we're all completely wrong - and there is an optical illusion to prove it. Jackson, who goes by @beatonthebeeb, shares lots of "sketchy stuff of fascination, fun, and puzzlement" to his social media - and has racked up over 500,000 followers on TikTok alone. And this video in particular really got people intrigued. In the video, Jackson will "convince you that your eyes lie to you". The TikToker starts with a simple visual of some traffic lights. He then puts a cyan filter over the lights, which red light apparently can't pass through. At this point, we can still see the red light - but Jackson says: "I can guarantee you, there is no red light there at all." He goes on to say that we can only see the red at this point because our brain is working overtime - convincing us that the red is there. The TikToker then blocks out the red of the traffic lights with grey. "Look, it was grey overall," Jackson says, "There was no red." The video has gained a very mixed reaction from fellow TikTokers. While some said the video had "broken their brain", others said they still saw the red at the end of the video.

@beatonthebeeb #opticalillusion #opticalillusions #mindgame #mindgames #complementarycolors #colours ♬ Will to Live - Jacob Yoffee

The video was viewed over 12 million views in just one week - with thousands asking @beatonthebeeb to give another example of seeing colours that aren't really there. So, Jackson answered his encore with a sequel traffic light video. Check it out here:

@beatonthebeeb #iopticalillusion #opticalillusions #mindgame #mindgames #complementarycolors #colours ♬ Will to Live - Jacob Yoffee

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