Photo courtesy of Alp Allen Altiner on Unsplash
It cracks me up when one study comes out with a “finding” and suddenly various news outlets begin touting the new “evidence” as scientific gospel.
Case in point: In July 2015 a study from Tokyo was presented at the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness. The consensus was that people who experience pareidolia tend to be neurotic. Or women. Or in a good mood. (Or perhaps a neurotic woman in a good mood?)
Yes, the study said, 77% of the people in the study who said they could see objects in pictures of random dot placement were neurotic according to the personality tests they took before the study.
Participants in the study? 166 undergraduates. Not very impressive, is it?
But nonetheless, article after article came out stating that if you experience pareidolia, you’re likely neurotic.
Visual Pareidolia (pronounced par-i-DOH-lee-a) means seeing faces in random everyday objects. The World English Dictionary defines it as “the imagined perception of a pattern or meaning where it does not actually exist.”
Other neuroscientists believe that this is a “normal neuroperceptual phenomenon.” Our brains are hard-wired to recognize shapes and make connections. And a face is one of the most important shapes to recognize and connect with.
Consider how babies love to look at faces. And I have to believe that is built into the human system because it helps babies to form a bond with mom and dad. Michael Frank, a brain and cognitive sciences researcher at MIT commented once that babies… “like to look at anything that resembles a face, even something as abstract as an electrical outlet.”
There is actually a section of our brains (fusiform gyrus) that is associated with facial recognition.
You’re likely wondering why I am defending pareidolia as normal and natural.
It’s because I see faces in random patterns such as in a floor covering like this.
Sometimes a human face will seem to come together. Other times I see faces of animals such as dogs, lambs, and bunnies.
No, it’s not as if I suddenly shout out, “Look! It’s Oprah!” It’s just a general outline of a face; sometimes a little might be missing or a tad out of place, but I recognize it as a face. It happens just once in a while and the image disappears as soon as I move my eyes away from the space.
Please don’t confuse my form of vaguely obscure pareidolia with the kind that most people recognize, such as when strawberries, blueberries, and a slice of banana come together to make a smiley face in your bowl of Cheerios. This site has some really good examples of the more common type of “face” sighting. I encourage you to open it as the “nun bun” will give you a good laugh.
I’ll bet you’re wondering if there are other senses of pareidolia. Why yes, there is also the auditory type where, for example, you think you hear your name being called out on a crowded subway platform. But I don’t consider the auditory as interesting as the visual type.
So if you too “see faces” and have worried that you might be a little crazy, now you know that it’s a common condition with a cool sounding name. Go ahead, tell your friends, “I’ve just been diagnosed with pareidolia by Dr. Norma.”
Never heard of pareidolia before, but want you to know I too discern faces as well as other objects where they aren’t really meant to be. However, I do have to tell you my mother once told me I was neurotic. Hmmmmm? She said that when, at 8 years old, I was putting the place settings on the table and had to make sure each piece was lined up exactly the same amount from the edge of the table. And why do I even remember that 59 years later? Maybe another study should be undertaken!
Well then, no wonder we’re friends; we have SO much in common!
I never heard of the either but I see faces, animals, etc. in my carpet. Never even considered I was neurotic. Maybe now I’ll be worried about it. Thanks a lot! Good blog.
Oh no, consider it a creative perk, not something to worry about.
Does seeing faces or animals in clouds qualify? If so, go ahead and institutionalize me!
Yes, it does qualify, but as I noted to reader Nancy, consider it a creative perk, not something to worry over.
Thank you Dr. Norma! Now it has a name. PAREIDOLIA, I even like the sound of it. I always thought of it as my imagination and creativity. From the time I was little, i remember seeing faces in the lamp shade outside my bedroom. I love finding shapes in the clouds! And yes, I see faces, and patterns in the floor tile. I think that pushed me into the art field. Every piece of art through the evolution of cave drawings have had my attention. I recall an art teacher asking us to draw the bathroom sink at each own’s home. Then when we went home to draw the real thing. What a difference the mind has. It’s worth a try to see how different the mind recalls an every day visual. Just another option of how we see things and even see things that are formed in our mind.
It’s always better to KNOW, isn’t it? And I like the art teacher’s example. I do believe you just inspired another blog idea. Thanks!