Kaylah Walton
A captivating image of Adele has gone viral, leaving many puzzled by a phenomenon known as the Thatcher Effect. This intriguing illusion complicates the recognition of inverted facial features in images displayed upside down until the picture is rotated to its normal orientation, exposing an unsettling reality.
Named after the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, this illusion was first introduced in 1980 by Professor Peter Thompson from the University of York. Initially thought to only apply to Thatcher’s own image, it has since been found to affect nearly anyone’s photograph. Currently, Adele’s image has emerged as the latest viral instance of this optical phenomenon.
The image of Adele features her face displayed upside down, evoking a sense of something being off, yet it’s difficult to identify what that is. This clever aspect is the essence of the Thatcher Effect. Although her eyes and mouth appear normal when the image is upside down, flipping it upright reveals a striking distortion. This has led to a wave of reactions online.
This is not the first instance where the Thatcher Effect gained attention. Clinical psychologist Dr. Julie Smith amazed her followers on TikTok by showcasing the illusion using faces of various celebrities like Barack Obama and Kanye West. Her video encouraged viewers to rotate their devices to see the strange transformations, receiving millions of views and garnering over 68,000 comments as audiences expressed fascination and fear.
In Adele’s case, fans were captivated by the illusion. Social media exploded with comments such as, “This broke my brain” and “Adele, but make it nightmare fuel.” The beloved artist, recognized for her powerful voice and beauty, has unintentionally become the face of this viral psychological effect.
The Thatcher Effect occurs because the human brain employs specialized processes for identifying upright faces. These processes focus more on the relationships between features—like the positioning of the eyes and mouth—than on the details of each separate feature. Consequently, when a face is inverted, these processes are less effective, making it challenging to recognize distortions such as a flipped mouth or rotated eyes.
While this effect is amusing on social media, it also serves as an essential tool in psychological and neurological research. Scholars utilize it to gain insights into how we perceive faces, cognitive growth, and the brain’s process of visual information interpretation.
