The Mona Lisa effect: Testing the limits of perceptual robustness vis-à-vis slanted images

We report three experiments that test the limits of the Mona Lisa effect. The gaze of a portrait that is looking at us appears to follow us around as we move with respect to the picture. Even if our position is shifted considerably to the side, or if the picture is severely slanted, do we feel the gaze to be directed at us? We determined the threshold where this effect breaks down to be maximally 70・・ of picture slant relative to the observer. Different factors modulate this remarkable robustness, among them being the display medium and the nature of the picture. The threshold was considerably lower when the picture was mounted on a physical surface as opposed to a computer simulation of slant. Also, the more the portrayed object deviated from the photograph of a human head, the less robust the Mona Lisa effect became. Implications for theories of perspective distortion are discussed.

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