Seeing things that aren't there? It's pareidolia
406,063 views |
Susan G. Wardle |
TED-Ed
• June 2023
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 explores why we see illusory faces. [Directed by Oksana Kurmaz, narrated by Alexandra Panzer, music by André Aires].