Pareidolia: concept, causes, consequences (12 photos)

Have you ever seen a rabbit floating in the sky cloud? Or consider a girl's profile on the Moon? Or maybe notice the image of a real person or a fairy-tale character in a tree wrapped in twilight shadow?







Even in the absence of imagination in this pepper you can see evil freak, and the cloud - a horse. And this is not a game of the imagination. More precisely, not quite her.







This phenomenon has its own term for designation - pareidolia. It is a feature of perception that allows to consider in the surrounding inanimate objects faces, silhouettes, and even whole scenes and sketches.



Basically, pareidolia accompanies some mental diseases, but it is also characteristic of perfectly healthy people. Especially creative.



The most common example, which has become a classic - notorious faces on Mars. Ordinary hills, on which, under a certain shadows fell from the angle, creating the illusion of human faces. AND forced to believe in life on the Red Planet.

The main factors causing pareidolia



In the process of evolution, the human brain has acquired the ability instantly identify images. To recognize a threat and avoid death. The priority of our ancestors was precisely speed, and not accuracy. After all, it is better to make a mistake and run away from some spotted creepers than to confuse it with a python, stay and fall victim to it.



The list of factors that scientists consider the causes of pareidolia include:

ancestral ability to quickly identify an object;

labile psyche, high suggestibility, including among believers;

creative vision and rich imagination;

some mental disorders.

Does pareidolia pose a threat to humans?



In general, no. Since this is a common component consciousness. Which, although manifested to varying degrees, is characteristic to all people. But in the case of heightened emotionality, sensitivity, acuteness of perception and, again, mental disease, it can cause problems. When a person to for example, frightened by the shadow in the cemetery, he will see the same everywhere and believe that he is haunted by a ghost.



And impressionable children are able to consider the potential threat and in completely harmless things such as branches outside the window or patterns on carpet.



Now the phenomenon is actively used by designers of various directions. After all, by subtly influencing the subconscious, you can sell much more and earn better.



Have you ever encountered pareidolia unexpectedly?