Pinocchio illusion
The Pinocchio illusion (also the Pinocchio effect, English pinocchio illusion ) is a sensory illusion that can be triggered by irritation of various muscle groups through vibration in the experiment , and causes a temporary disturbance of the depth sensitivity and thus the position perception of individual body parts.
For example, people who are blindfolded and touch their own nose can have the feeling that their nose is up to 30 cm long when vibrations are triggered on the biceps of the same arm. This also works when the blindfolded person touches the nose of another person standing in front of them.
The cause is the disturbed position perception of the arm due to the vibrations, which signals to the brain that the arm is extended.
The phenomenon was first described in 1988 by James R. Lackner , son-in-law and long-time partner of NASA medic Prof. Ashton Graybiel (1902–1995).