Somatogravic Illusion
What is somatogravic illusion?
The somatogravic illusion is the false sensation of being in a nose-up or nose-down attitude caused by rapid acceleration or deceleration, especially when good visual references are missing. During a rapid acceleration (like takeoff), the otolith organs in your inner ear are stimulated the same way as tilting your head backward, tricking you into feeling pitched up—which can tempt you to push the nose down dangerously. Think of it as: speeding up "feels" like climbing, so you may dive; slowing down "feels" like descending, so you may climb.
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