Most People Miss the Answer: How Many Squares Can You Find in This Picture?

At first glance, this looks like a simple little puzzle.

The picture says:

“Most people are narcissists… Count the squares.”

So naturally, you start counting the obvious ones.

You see the small square-shaped blocks near the bottom and quickly come up with an answer.

But there’s a catch.

You’re not supposed to count only the individual colored pieces.

You also need to look for larger squares formed by several pieces together.

Take a moment and look at the image again.

How many can you find?

Don’t scroll down just yet.

Seriously.

Count them yourself.

…

Still counting?

Here’s where the puzzle gets interesting.

There are 6 obvious small squares:

• 2 in the middle section
• 4 along the bottom

But we’re not finished.

Look at the larger shapes.

Several groups of four smaller sections form 2×2 squares.

There are 4 of those larger squares.

That gives us:

6 small squares + 4 large squares = 10 squares.

So the answer is:

10 SQUARES

And that’s exactly why this puzzle catches people.

Most of us instinctively count the individual colored blocks and stop.

But the larger squares are hiding in plain sight.

The funny part is that the image calls people “narcissists” for focusing on themselves—but the real challenge is simply whether you can resist the first obvious answer and look at the entire structure.

So, be honest:

How many did you count before checking the answer?

Did you get 10, or did you have to look twice?