Take a closer look at this optical illusion and make sure that yellow is not really yellow

Optical illusions show how our brains work. And the image created by the Japanese experimental psychologist Akiyoshi Kitaoka is a clear example of how we perceive color.

Thus, in one of his latest images, according to the SSPDaily website, titled "Illusory Yellow," we see three overlapping circles of cyan, magenta, and yellow, just like in CMYK images (a subtractive color model used in printing, primarily in multicolor printing). However, a closer look reveals that there is no real yellow pigmentation in the lower right circle. The color is created in our minds.

So why do we see a yellow circle if it's not really there? The answer lies in subtractive color mixing, or the perception of color that occurs when light is absorbed by other colors.

If you zoom in on the image, you'll realize that what you initially thought was a yellow circle is actually a series of black lines on a white background. These lines follow the same pattern as the rest of the image, but others are bright blue.

The illusion of yellow is created by these black and white bars in an area surrounded by blue bars. In addition to this, what is considered a green area, where blue and yellow supposedly meet, is actually composed of blue and black.

Proving this once again, Twitter user Mab Newemka showed that the other two colored disks are not even necessary for this illusion to occur. If you drag a circle made up of black stripes onto a background with blue stripes, a yellow circle will appear almost as if by magic.