experienced by visitors results from the oddly tilted environment as well as standing on a tilted floor. Inside the tilted room of the Mystery Spot, misperceptions of the height and orientation of objects occur. Even when people are standing outside on a level ground, the slant of the building in the background causes misperceptions as humans judge the height of people using the slant of the roof rather than the true horizon. These visual illusions include balls rolling uphill and people leaning farther than normally possible without falling down. Psychologists at Berkeley state that all of the misperceptions stem from the simple fact that the house is slanted at a 20 degree angle. Professor William Prinzmetal states, "When the perceiver's body also is tilted, the distorting impact on vision is greatly magnified—up to two or three times." Another point he makes is that distorted orientation causes other senses to fall back while one's visual senses become heightened. People standing at impossible angles and water flowing uphill are related to the angle at which the house sits. Other suggestions have been proposed to explain the reason behind The Mystery Spot's odd gravitational rules and illusions. Tour guides suggest that "a meteor which fell in ancient days and left a magic circle" is the cause behind the mystery, and suggest that an electromagnetic field on the hill deters wildlife. These are theories proposed by guides for entertainment, and not scientific reasoning. Cultural relevance The Mystery Spot was the first "gravity-defying" tourist attraction in California and was the most prominent illusion-based tourist attraction in California in the mid-20th century. The Mystery Spot has been featured on BuzzFeed, and in the Santa Cruz Sentinel and other newspapers, comic strips, and travel blogs for decades. See also Oregon Vortex, a similar roadside attraction in Gold Hill, Oregon The Wonder Spot, a similar attraction in Wisconsin References External links Mystery Spot official website (California) Video Tour of the Mystery Spot (California) 1941 establishments in California Buildings and structures in Santa Cruz County, California Gravity hills Roadside attractions in California Tourist attractions in California Tourist attractions in Santa Cruz County, California