‘Humans are hardwired’, claims study. (they probably mean REPROGRAMMED)
‘It’s normal to see Jesus on your TOAST’: Humans are hardwired to see famous faces on everyday objects, claims study
- Seeing faces in inanimate objects and patterns is known as face pareidolia
- The phenomenon is common, but little is known about why it happens
- Researchers analysed brain responses to seeing faces in patterns
- Response originates in the frontal cortex and travels to the visual cortex
- Findings suggest humans have evolved to recognise facial shapes due to their importance in social interactions
Have you ever seen Jesus’ face on a piece of toast, or a vision of Elvis in your coffee? Don’t worry, it’s a perfectly normal reaction, according to a new study.
Seeing faces in inanimate objects is known as face pareidolia and although the phenomenon is common, little has been known about why it happens, until now.
Researchers in Canada analysed brain responses to seeing faces in patterns and discovered the recognition occurs in the frontal and visual cortex.
WHAT IS FACE PAREIDOLIA?
Pareidolia is the psychological response to seeing faces and other significant and everyday items in random stimulus.
It is a form of apophenia, which is when people see patterns or connections in random, unconnected data.
There have been multiple occasions when people have claimed to see religious images and themes in unexpected places, especially the faces of religious figures.
Many involve images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and the word Allah.
For example, in September 2007 a callus on a tree resembled a monkey, leading believers in Singapore to pay homage to the Monkey god.
Another famous instance was when Mary’s face was a grilled cheese sandwich.
Images of Jesus have even been spotted inside the lid of a jar of Marmite and in a potato.