Pareidolia
Seeing meaningful patterns in visual images
Or, how an electrical socket looks like a face
If you read the post on time management, did you notice the picture of the clock? See the hands at roughly 10 & 2? All clocks are set like that in advertisements because it makes the clock face look like it’s smiling and so subliminally inclines us to want to buy it.
The uber nerdy term for this kind of subliminal messaging is pareidolia. (Greek: para, "beside" or "instead of" and eidolon, “image” or “shape”); taken together indicating a tendency of the mind to infer meaning in visual images whether or not it actually exists. It's a super intriguing concept because it taps into our innate desire to find meaning where it may or may not objectively exist, including in totally random and unexpected places.
Studies of pareidolia (Google Scholar returns 197 hits for papers with Pareidolia in the title) offer deep insights into how the human brain processes information and the diversity with which individuals perceive their world. These papers also get away with much better titles than most other fields. Like this one out of the UofT: Seeing Jesus in toast: Neural and behavioral correlates of face pareidolia which is available open access for anyone who wants a gold star for overachieving.
Across cultures, pareidolia has a variable role in art, religion, and folklore. Our susceptibility to its power, which varies across cultures and histories and between individuals strongly influences our awareness and interpretations of divine messages, spiritual symbols, and omens. Back to all the hoopla with the toast. In 1996 enough people were so convinced that the image on Florida woman Diane Duyser’s grilled cheese sandwich was actually Jesus that the sandwich went for $28,000 on eBay.
Pareidolia is also a captivating topic because it leans into curiosities about the complex interplay between sensory input, cognition, and perspective. And it catch us amusingly off guard with its whimsical interpretations.
Also, pareidolia is fun to say.
Action item
Here’s a fun little mindfulness exercise for the next time you need a break from your day. Leave your devices at home and set out on a quest to find as many inanimate faces as you can in objects you pass. It will be a silly journey that will centre your awareness in the present. If you’re proud of a find (and you cheat and bring your phone) snap a pic and send it to me. I promise to ooh and ahh.
A couple more links
A look at the watch study on hodinkee.com
(Also, can we all agree: Hodinkee is fun to say, too!)Alie Ward (who' is my favourite Alie) gets close to discussing this on her Ologies Episode on Areology but she hasn’t done one on Pareidolia yet.
I just asked her to. If she comes through with an episode, I’ll add it here!
TL;DR
I challenge you to look at an electric socket and not see a face.
Image Credits
Socket Robot by Davie Bicker from Pixabay