Practically all of us lay down on a blanket in the garden and watched the clouds. In the company of peers or parents, it was great fun to guess what shapes they took. The fun often ended in laughter, and it stimulated the imagination. Do you still notice specific shapes in the clouds, even completely by accident? This experience has a technical name.
What is pareidolia? This is why we see shapes in clouds
Pareidolia involves seeing shapes in places that are not actually there. We often see them, for example, in the bark of trees or stains on the walls. The phenomenon is not an illusion or a disease, but rather is perceived as a certain skill. What do we notice most often? It turns out that what is related to our interests or current needs. Pareidolia makes us interpret random patterns and images in our own way and we can even give them some kind of meaning. For example, without even realizing it, we instinctively try to find the shapes of people or people in the clouds, and our brain helps us in this. Creates an image of a nose, mouth, eyes or ears. Pareidolia is also defined as finding meaning in sounds – for example, playing songs backwards. Some people also see interesting shapes in the rainbow.
– Objects that meet the characteristics of pareidolia attract our attention. Perceiving a face is not limited to just finding it. The elements of the process include recognizing a person and reading the information coming from a given face, e.g. whether the person listens to us, accepts us, likes us or maybe not necessarily – Colin Palmer from the University of New South Wales.
The most common examples of pareidolia. Have you checked it out yet?
It turns out that there are well-known examples of pareidolia.
- Finding religious figures (Mary and Jesus) appearing on tree trunks, in food, on buildings.
- Finding the image of the devil on Canadian one-dollar bills from 1954, featuring Queen Elizabeth II.
- Finding the figure of the devil in photos of smoke from the burning World Trade Center.
There are many more cases, and some even see them as a miracle – even though they are not.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
