How Many Squares Do You See? A Fun Optical Illusion That Tests Your Perception (Not Your Personality)

Depending on how many squares you saw, here’s what might have happened:

Saw only 9
You noticed the obvious — common under quick scanning or distraction
Saw 10–13
You caught some larger patterns but missed a few combinations
Saw all 14
Strong visual processing, attention to detail, and patience with pattern tasks

Factors that influence your count:

Attention span
Experience with puzzles
Cognitive flexibility
Time spent analyzing
Stress or fatigue levels
None of these are linked to narcissism.

Debunking the Narcissism Myth
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a clinical diagnosis defined by the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Traits include:

Grandiosity
Need for excessive admiration
Lack of empathy
Exploitative behavior
Sense of entitlement
These cannot be measured by counting shapes.

Real assessments use structured interviews and validated tools like:

The Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI)
The Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI)
And even then, only trained professionals should interpret results.

 Why Did This Viral Hoax Spread?
Because it plays on two powerful human tendencies:

Curiosity: We love learning about ourselves
Social sharing: People post their answers to prove they’re “not narcissists”
But turning a brain teaser into a personality test is misleading — even when meant as a joke.

Fun Ways This Puzzle Can Be Useful
While it won’t diagnose anything, it can help:

See more on the next page