Pareidolia

Pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon involving a stimulus (an image or a sound) which is perceived as significant. Common examples are perceived images of animals, faces, or objects in cloud formations, the Man in the Moon, the Moon rabbit, and hidden messages within recorded music played in reverse or at higher- or lower-than-normal speeds.

Perception

Pareidolia can cause people to interpret random images, or patterns of light and shadow, as faces. A 2009 magnetoencephalography study found that objects incidentally perceived as faces evoke an early (165 ms) activation of the fusiform face area at a time and location similar to that evoked by faces, whereas other common objects do not evoke such activation. This activation is similar to a slightly faster time (130 ms) that is seen for images of real faces. The authors suggest that face perception evoked by face-like objects is a relatively early process, and not a late cognitive reinterpretation phenomenon.

Causes

Carl Sagan hypothesized that as a survival technique, human beings are "hard-wired" from birth to identify the human face. This allows people to use only minimal details to recognize faces from a distance and in poor visibility but can also lead them to interpret random images or patterns of light and shadow as being faces.

In popular culture

The concept of pareidolia has had a significant impact on popular culture, particularly in the areas of visual art and music. Many artists, both historical and modern, have used pareidolia in their works, either as a basis for entire pieces or as a tool to enhance or create certain effects.

See also

• Apophenia
• Clustering illusion
• Face perception
• Perceptions of religious imagery in natural phenomena
• Simulacrum

External links

• Pareidolia: 35+ Examples & Images in Everyday Objects

Pareidolia Resources
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