ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

McCollough effect

Now this is a fun one! So, the McCollough effect is something that can happen when you look at certain colors for a long time. Let's say you look at a red stripe and a green stripe, and you keep looking back and forth between them for a while.

After a few minutes of doing this, when you look away from the stripes, you might see weird, wavy lines that aren't really there! They might be green and red, the same colors as the stripes you were looking at, but they're not really there.

This weird effect can last for a long time, even for a few days! Some people think it's because your brain gets confused and starts seeing things that aren't really there.

But don't worry, it's not harmful and it goes away eventually. It's just a cool trick that our brains can play on us sometimes!