Disappearing dots optical illusion is driving the Internet insane

There's a new maddening optical illusion taking the Internet by storm, and this time the aggravating agents are disappearing black dots, reports the BBC. The spots in question are located at the intersection points of numerous gray lines, and, while there are 12 of them, only a few seem to be visible at any given time.

Explanations for the phenomenon largely point to the limitations of human vision and memory. A Reddit user cited, "Variations on the Hermann Grid: An Extinction Illusion," a scientific paper published in 2000.

It suggests that humans are lacking in the ability to, "...recognize objects in clutter," and notes, "...people do not combine information from multiple fixations in a fully integrated and detailed representation."

The image was originally posted on Sunday by a psychology professor in Japan. Within a day, it had been shared, liked, and commented upon tens of thousands of times.

Scroll through to see more mind-blowing optical illusions:

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