The Van Hare Effect is a 3D stereoscopic viewing technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision using psychophysical percepts. The Van Hare Effect creates the illusion of dimensionality, rather than actual dimensionality in the subject being viewed. The Van Hare Effect is achieved by employing the stereoscopic cross-eyed viewing technique on a pair of identical images placed side-by-side. In doing so, it artificially tricks the human brain and optical center into seeing depth in what is actually a two-dimensional, non-stereoscopic image. The illusion of depth is interesting in that even if the image pair is not itself originally stereoscopic, the brain perceives it as if it is.
No special viewing apparatus is required as the brain is tricked into creating a false perception of a three-dimensional still image or video simply by viewing it with the cross-eyed technique. In videos or films viewed this way, the artificial depth perception derived can to be diminished for some viewers, perhaps due to the fast changing visual picture, which appears to occupy more of the brain.
Most people can employ the Van Hare Effect but not all. The reasons for why some people cannot make the Van Hare Effect work for them are unknown and deserve further scientific study.