This meme may have already passed in front of you: an image made up of concentric circles, accompanied by a catchy title — “The number of circles you see determines if you’re a narcissist.” Intriguing, isn’t it? We watch, we count… And we ask ourselves: am I normal? narcissistic? Or is it just one of many jokes on the internet?
Spoiler: this meme says much more about our curiosity than our personality. But it opens up an interesting reflection — between optical illusions, popular psychology and self-fascination.
Optical illusions: when our brain plays tricks on us
An optical illusion is like a visual enigma: what we perceive is not always reality. Our brain, to save time, uses shortcuts. As a result, we interpret shapes, shadows and colours according to our own perceptual filters.
But seeing more or fewer circles in an image says nothing about our personality. It depends on many things: our level of attention, the brightness of the screen, or the size of our device. Nothing that allows us to judge our ego.
Why is this meme so popular?
This visual illusion has all the ingredients of viral content:
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It can be tested in the blink of an eye
It promises a revelation about oneself (narcissism, a sensitive and fascinating subject)
It is easy to share (“And you, how many circles do you see?”)
But behind this playful façade, we must keep in mind the essential: just because a meme affirms something does not mean that it is a scientific truth.
What exactly is narcissism?
The word “narcissist” is often used lightly — whenever someone posts a lot of selfies or talks too much about themselves. But in psychology, pathological narcissism is a well-defined disorder, which is characterized by:
An excessive need for admiration
A lack of empathy
Manipulative behavior
An exaggerated self-image
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