Seeing things that aren't there? It's pareidolia

TALKSFEATURED

Mahendran Jayaveeran

1/8/20241 min read

Seeing things that aren't there? It's pareidolia
Seeing things that aren't there? It's pareidolia

"Susan G. Wardle explores why we see illusory faces"

Imagine opening a bag of chips, only to find Santa Claus looking back at you. Or turning a corner to see a building smiling at you?

Humans see faces in all kinds of mundane objects, but these faces aren't real — they're illusions due to a phenomenon known as face pareidolia. So why exactly does this happen, and how far does this distortion go?

Susan G. Wardle is an Educator, who explores why we see illusory faces.

Credit: TED

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