View source for Pareidolia

{{Short description|Perception of meaningful patterns or images in random or vague stimuli}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
[[File:Martian face viking cropped.jpg|thumb|Satellite photograph of a [[mesa]] in the [[Cydonia (Mars)|Cydonia region of Mars]], often called the [[Cydonia (Mars)#"Face on Mars"|"Face on Mars"]] and cited as evidence of [[Extraterrestrial life|extraterrestrial]] habitation]]'''Pareidolia''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|p|ær|ɪ|ˈ|d|oʊ|l|i|ə|,_|ˌ|p|ɛər|-}};<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url= http://www.lexico.com/en/definition/pareidolia |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200116023805/https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/pareidolia |archive-date= 2020-01-16 |title= pareidolia |dictionary= [[Lexico]] US English Dictionary |publisher= [[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|alsoUS|ˌ|p|ɛər|aɪ|-}})<ref>{{cite Merriam-Webster|pareidolia|access-date=6 December 2020}}</ref> is the tendency for [[perception]] to impose a meaningful interpretation on a nebulous [[stimulus (physiology)|stimulus]], usually visual, so that one detects an object, pattern, or meaning where there is none. Pareidolia is a specific but common type of [[apophenia]] (the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things or ideas).

Common examples include [[Cloud#In culture and religion|perceived images]] of animals, faces, or objects in cloud formations; seeing faces in inanimate objects; or [[lunar pareidolia]] like the [[Man in the Moon]] or the [[Moon rabbit]]. The concept of pareidolia may extend to include [[hidden message]]s in recorded music played in reverse or at higher- or lower-than-normal speeds, and hearing voices (mainly indistinct) or music in random noise, such as that produced by air conditioners or by fans.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nautil.us/blog/why-we-hear-voices-in-random-noise |title= Why we hear voices in random noise |last= Jaekel |first= Philip |date= 2017-01-29 |publisher= Nautilus |access-date=April 1, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://hearinglosshelp.com/blog/apophenia-audio-pareidolia-and-musical-ear-syndrome/#:~:text=Musical%20Ear%20Syndrome%20is%20a,like%20music%2C%20singing%20or%20voices.&text=The%20fan%20is%20not%20producing,is%20just%20producing%20fan%20noise. |title= Apophenia, Audio Pareidolia and Musical Ear Syndrome |last= Bauman |first=Neil |date= 2015-07-09}}
</ref> Face pareidolia has also been demonstrated in [[rhesus macaque]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Taubert |first1=Jessica |last2=Wardle |first2=Susan G. |last3=Flessert |first3=Molly |last4=Leopold |first4=David A. |last5=Ungerleider |first5=Leslie G. |date=2017 |title=Face Pareidolia in the Rhesus Monkey |journal=Current Biology |volume=27 |issue=16 |pages=2505–2509.e2 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.075 |issn=0960-9822 |pmc=5584612 |pmid=28803877|bibcode=2017CBio...27E2505T }}</ref>

== Etymology ==
The word derives from the Greek words ''[[wikt:para-|pará]]'' ({{lang|grc|παρά}}, "beside, alongside, instead [of]") and the noun [[wikt:εἴδωλον|''eídōlon'']] ({{lang|grc|εἴδωλον}}, "image, form, shape").<ref name="theatlantic.com">{{cite news |last=Rosen |first=Rebecca J. |date=August 7, 2012 |title=Pareidolia: A Bizarre Bug of the Human Mind Emerges in Computers |newspaper=[[The Atlantic]] |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/08/pareidolia-a-bizarre-bug-of-the-human-mind-emerges-in-computers/260760/}}</ref>

[[Karl Ludwig Kahlbaum]] introduced the German term {{Lang|de|Pareidolie}} in his 1866 paper "{{Lang|de|Die Sinnesdelierien}}"<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kahlbaum|first=Karl Ludwig| author-link = Karl Ludwig Kahlbaum |date=1866|title=Die Sinnesdelirien|url=https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10087039?|journal=Allgemeine Zeitschrift für Psychiatrie und psychisch-gerichtliche Medizin|volume=23|pages=1–86}}</ref> ("On Delusion of the Senses"). When Kahlbaum's paper was reviewed the following year (1867) in ''The Journal of Mental Science'', Volume 13, {{Lang|de|Pareidolie}} was translated into English as "pareidolia", and noted to be synonymous with the terms "...changing hallucination, partial hallucination, [and] perception of secondary images."<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=IM06AQAAMAAJ&dq=%22pareidolia%22&pg=PA238] Sibbald, M.D. [https://books.google.com/books?id=IM06AQAAMAAJ&dq=%22pareidolia%22&pg=PA238 "Report on the Progress of Psychological Medicine; German Psychological Literature"], ''The Journal of Mental Science'', Volume 13. 1867. p. 238</ref>

== Link to other conditions ==
Pareidolia correlates with age and is frequent among patients with [[Parkinson's disease]] and [[dementia with Lewy bodies]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kurumada |first1=Kentaro |last2=Sugiyama |first2=Atsuhiko |last3=Hirano |first3=Shigeki |last4=Yamamoto |first4=Tatsuya |last5=Yamanaka |first5=Yoshitaka |last6=Araki |first6=Nobuyuki |last7=Yakiyama |first7=Masatsugu |last8=Yoshitake |first8=Miki |last9=Kuwabara |first9=Satoshi |date=2021 |title=Pareidolia in Parkinson's Disease and Multiple System Atrophy |journal=Parkinson's Disease |volume=2021 |article-number=2704755 |doi=10.1155/2021/2704755 |issn=2090-8083 |pmc=8572613 |pmid=34754412|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Several case studies report intrusive pareidolia as a symptom presentation in [[Obsessive Compulsive Disorder]].<ref>https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18850462/</ref>

== Explanations ==
[[File:Basalt-Face.JPG|thumb|A [[pyroxene]] crystal in a piece of [[basalt]] that resembles a human face, facing to the left]]

Pareidolia can cause people to interpret random images, or patterns of light and shadow, as faces.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sagan |first=Carl |author-link = Carl Sagan| title=The Demon-Haunted World – Science as a Candle in the Dark |url=https://archive.org/details/demonhauntedworl0000unse |url-access=registration |publisher=Random House |year=1995 |location=New York |isbn=978-0-394-53512-8}}</ref> A 2009 [[magnetoencephalography]] study found that objects perceived as faces evoke an early (165 <abbr title="millseconds">ms</abbr>) activation of the [[fusiform face area]] at a time and location similar to that evoked by faces, whereas other common objects do not evoke such activation. This activation is similar to a slightly faster time (130 ms) that is seen for images of real faces. The authors suggest that face perception evoked by face-like objects is a relatively early process, and not a late cognitive reinterpretation phenomenon.<ref name="pmid19218867">{{cite journal |last1=Hadjikhani |first1=Nouchine |last2=Kveraga |first2=Kestutis |last3=Naik |first3=Paulami |last4=Ahlfors |first4=Seppo P. |title=Early (M170) activation of face-specific cortex by face-like objects |journal=NeuroReport |volume=20 |issue=4 |pages=403–07 |year=2009 |pmid=19218867 |pmc=2713437 |doi=10.1097/WNR.0b013e328325a8e1 }}</ref>

A [[functional magnetic resonance imaging]] (fMRI) study in 2011 similarly showed that repeated presentation of novel visual shapes that were interpreted as meaningful led to decreased fMRI responses for real objects. These results indicate that the interpretation of ambiguous stimuli depends upon processes similar to those elicited by known objects.<ref name="pmid22079921">{{cite journal |last1=Voss |first1=J. L. |last2=Federmeier |first2=K. D. |last3=Paller |first3=K. A. |title=The Potato Chip Really Does Look Like Elvis! Neural Hallmarks of Conceptual Processing Associated with Finding Novel Shapes Subjectively Meaningful |journal=Cerebral Cortex |volume=22 |issue=10 |pages=2354–64 |year=2012 |pmid=22079921 |pmc=3432238 |doi=10.1093/cercor/bhr315 }}</ref>

Pareidolia was found to affect brain function and brain waves. In a 2022 study, EEG records show that responses in the frontal and occipitotemporal cortexes begin prior to when one recognizes faces and later, when they are not recognized.<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1093/cercor/bhab199 | title="I Spy with my Little Eye, Something that is a Face…": A Brain Network for Illusory Face Detection | date=2022 | last1=Thome | first1=Ina | last2=Hohmann | first2=Daniela M. | last3=Zimmermann | first3=Kristin M. | last4=Smith | first4=Marie L. | last5=Kessler | first5=Roman | last6=Jansen | first6=Andreas | journal=Cerebral Cortex | volume=32 | issue=1 | pages=137–157 | pmid=34322712 }}</ref> By displaying these proactive brain waves, scientists can then have a basis for data rather than relying on self-reported sightings. {{clarification needed|date=August 2024}}

These studies help to explain why people generally identify a few lines and a circle as a "face" so quickly and without hesitation. [[Cognition|Cognitive processes]] are activated by the "face-like" object which alerts the observer to both the emotional state and [[identity (philosophy)|identity]] of the subject, even before the conscious mind begins to process or even receive the information. A "stick figure face", despite its simplicity, can convey mood information, and be drawn to indicate emotions such as happiness or anger. This robust and subtle capability is hypothesized to be the result of [[natural selection]] favoring people most able to quickly identify the mental state, for example, of threatening people, thus providing the individual an opportunity to flee or attack preemptively.<ref name="recog">{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/13/health/psychology/13face.html |title=Facial Recognition – Brain – Faces, Faces Everywhere|access-date=July 3, 2010 | work=The New York Times | first=Elizabeth | last= Svoboda | date = 2007-02-13}}</ref> This ability, though highly specialized for the processing and [[emotion recognition|recognition of ''human'' emotions]], also functions to determine the demeanor of wildlife.<ref name="dog">{{cite web|url=http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_EmotionsInCaninesAndHumans.php|title=Dog Tips – Emotions in Canines and Humans|publisher=Partnership for Animal Welfare|access-date=July 3, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117042830/http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_EmotionsInCaninesAndHumans.php|archive-date=November 17, 2015}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=September 2015}}

== Pareidolia and creative thinking ==
Pareidolia plays a significant role in creative cognition, enabling artists and viewers to perceive novel forms and meanings in ambiguous stimuli.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bellemare-Pepin |first1=Antoine |last2=Jerbi |first2=Karim |date=2024-12-24 |title=Divergent Perception: Framing Creative Cognition Through the Lens of Sensory Flexibility |journal=The Journal of Creative Behavior |volume=59 |issue=3 |article-number=e1525 |doi=10.1002/jocb.1525 |issn=0022-0175|doi-access=free }}</ref> Joanne Lee highlights that this phenomenon has been harnessed in artistic practices for centuries ([[Leonardo da Vinci|Da Vinci]] for example).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Joanne |title=I See Faces: popular pareidolia and the proliferation of meaning. In Materiality and Popular Culture |publisher=Routledge |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-367-87817-7 |pages=105–118}}</ref> The phenomenon was  particularly important to [[surrealism]], where artists like [[Salvador Dalí|Salvador Dali]], influenced by [[André Breton]], embraced pareidolic ambiguity to challenge rationalist perceptions and provoke new ways of seeing.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Breton |first=André |title=What is surrealism? selected writings |date=1978 |publisher=Monad |isbn=978-0-87348-822-8 |editor-last=Rosemont |editor-first=Franklin |location=New York}}</ref>

== Examples ==
=== Mimetoliths ===
[[File:Viking moc face 20m.gif|thumb|{{center|A more detailed photograph taken in different lighting in 2001 clarifies the "face" to be a natural rock formation. }}]]
A mimetolithic pattern is a pattern created on rocks that may come to mimic recognizable forms through the random processes of formation, [[weathering]] and [[erosion]]. Many examples exist, from the  [[Old Man of the Mountain]] (a face-like profile in a cliff) to [[Iztaccíhuatl]], a range in Mexico whose name is Nahuatl for "White (like salt) woman", reflecting the four individual snow-capped peaks which depict the head, chest, knees and feet of a sleeping female when seen from east or west.

A well-known example is the [[Face on Mars]], a rock formation on Mars that resembled a human face in certain satellite photos. Most mimetoliths are much larger than the subjects they resemble, such as a cliff profile that looks like a human face.

[[Jasper#picture|Picture jaspers]] exhibit combinations of patterns, such as banding from flow or depositional patterns (from water or wind), or dendritic or color variations, resulting in what appear to be miniature scenes on a cut section, which is then used for jewelry.

[[Chert]] nodules, [[concretion]]s, or pebbles may in certain cases be mistakenly identified as skeletal remains, egg fossils, or other antiquities of organic origin by amateur enthusiasts.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Japanese researcher [[Chonosuke Okamura]] self-published a series of reports titled ''Original Report of the Okamura Fossil Laboratory'', in which he described tiny inclusions in polished [[limestone]] from the [[Silurian]] period (425 [[Year#Mya|mya]]) as being preserved [[fossil]] remains of tiny humans, gorillas, dogs, dragons, dinosaurs and other organisms, all of them only millimeters long, leading him to claim, "There have been no changes in the bodies of mankind since the Silurian period... except for a growth in stature from 3.5 mm to 1,700&nbsp;mm."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume6/v6i6/okamura-6-6.html |last=Spamer |first=E. |title=Chonosuke Okamura, Visionary |publisher=Academy of Natural Sciences |location=Philadelphia |access-date=2008-08-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118021705/http://www.improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume6/v6i6/okamura-6-6.html |archive-date=2015-11-18 }} archived at [http://improbable.com/ Improbable Research].</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The earwig's tail: a modern bestiary of multi-legged legends |url=https://archive.org/details/earwigstailmoder00bere |url-access=limited |first=May |last=Berenbaum |publisher=Harvard University Press | year=2009 | isbn=978-0-674-03540-9 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/earwigstailmoder00bere/page/n86 72]–73}}</ref> Okamura's research earned him an [[Ig Nobel Prize]] (a parody of the Nobel Prize) in [[biodiversity]] in 1996.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/education/2004/mar/16/highereducation.research |title=Tiny tall tales: Marc Abrahams uncovers the minute, but astonishing, evidence of our fossilised past |first=Marc |last=Abrahams |author-link=Marc Abrahams |work=The Guardian |date=2004-03-16 |place=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Science's most wanted: the top 10 book of outrageous innovators, deadly disasters, and shocking discoveries |url=https://archive.org/details/sciencesmostwant0000conn |url-access=registration |first1=Susan |last1=Conner |first2=Linda |last2=Kitchen |publisher=Brassey's |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-57488-481-4 |page = [https://archive.org/details/sciencesmostwant0000conn/page/93 93]}}</ref>

Some sources describe various mimetolithic features on [[Pluto]], including a [[Tombaugh Regio|heart-shaped region]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Miller|first=Ross|date=2015-07-14|title=Pluto the dog can, like, totally be seen on Pluto the dwarf planet|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/7/14/8962367/pluto-disney-whoa-dude-what|access-date=2020-07-30|website=The Verge|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Pluto's icy heart makes winds blow {{!}} EarthSky.org|url=https://earthsky.org/space/plutos-icy-heart-makes-winds-blow|access-date=2020-07-30|website=earthsky.org|date=9 February 2020|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Gary|date=2015-07-15|title=Pluto annotated (by xkcd)|url=https://dgarygrady.com/2015/07/15/pluto-annotated-by-xkcd/|access-date=2020-07-30|website=D Gary Grady|language=en-US}}</ref>

===Clouds===

Seeing shapes in cloud patterns is another example of this phenomenon.  Rogowitz and Voss (1990) showed a relationship between seeing shapes in cloud patterns and [[fractal]] dimension.{{what|date=August 2025}} They varied the fractal dimension of the boundary contour from 1.2 to 1.8, and  found that the lower the fractal dimension, the more likely people were to report seeing nameable shapes of animals, faces, and fantasy creatures.<ref name="SPIE">{{Cite journal |last1=Rogowitz |first1=Bernice E. |last2=Voss |first2=R. |editor-first1=Bernice E. |editor-first2=Jan P. |editor-last1=Rogowitz |editor-last2=Allebach |date=1990-10-01 |title=&lt;title&gt;Shape perception and low-dimension fractal boundary contours&lt;/title&gt; |journal=Human Vision and Electronic Imaging: Models, Methods, and Applications |volume=1249 |pages=387–394 |publisher=SPIE |doi=10.1117/12.19691|s2cid=120313118 }}</ref> From above, pareidolia may be perceived in satellite imagery of tropical cyclones. Notably hurricanes [[Hurricane Matthew|Matthew]] and [[Hurricane Milton|Milton]] gained much attention for resembling a human face or skull when viewed from the side.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Keller |first1=Erin |title=Hurricane Milton Satellite Image Shows 'Creepy' Skull Shape |url=https://www.newsweek.com/hurricane-milton-satellite-image-shows-creepy-skull-shape-1966536 |access-date=19 November 2024 |agency=Newsweek |date=9 October 2024}}</ref>

=== Mars canals ===
[[File:Lowell_Mars_channels.jpg|thumbnail|left|Map of Martian "canals" by Percival Lowell]]
{{Main|Martian canals}}
A notable example of pareidolia occurred in 1877, when observers using telescopes to view the surface of Mars thought that they saw faint straight lines, which were then interpreted by some as canals. It was theorized that the canals were possibly created by sentient beings. This created a sensation. In the next few years better photographic techniques and stronger telescopes were developed and applied, which resulted in new images in which the faint lines disappeared, and the canal theory was debunked as an example of pareidolia.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=fU3BAQAAQBAJ&dq=Pareidolia+mars%2Bcanals&pg=PA3] Kitchin, C. R. ''Astrophysical Techniques, Sixth Edition''. Taylor & Francis (2013). {{ISBN|9781466511156}} p. 3</ref><ref>Lane, K. Maria. ''Geographies of Mars: Seeing and Knowing the Red Planet.'' University of Chicago Press (2011). p. 52-63. {{ISBN| 9780226470788}}</ref>

=== Lunar surface ===
[[File:Man In The Moon2 (cropped).png|thumb|upright|Pareidolias in the moon]]
Many cultures recognize pareidolic images in the disc of the [[full moon]], including the human face known as the [[Man in the Moon]] in many [[Northern Hemisphere]] cultures<ref>Harley, Timothy (1885). ''[https://archive.org/details/moonlore00harl Moon Lore]'', London; Swan Sonnenschein, Le Bas & Lowry. p.&nbsp;21.</ref><ref name="books.google.com">Evans, Ben (2010). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=MYasNyKQIxMC&pg=PA143 Foothold in the Heavens: The Seventies]''. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 143. {{ISBN|1441963421}}.</ref> and the [[Moon rabbit]] in East Asian and indigenous American cultures.<ref>Xueting Christine Ni (2018). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ck9UDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA40 From Kuan Yin to Chairman Mao: The Essential Guide to Chinese Deities]''. Red Wheel/Weiser. pp. 40–43. {{ISBN|1578636256}}.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Michael |title=The Aztecs |date=2012 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |location=Chichester, West Sussex; Malden, MA |isbn=978-1-4051-9497-6 |page=200 |edition=3rd }}</ref> Other cultures see a walking figure carrying a wide burden on their back,<ref name="books.google.com"/> including in [[Germanic culture|Germanic tradition]],<ref>[https://archive.org/details/curiousmythsofmi00bariuoft/page/190 Baring-Gould, Sabine. "The Man in the Moon", ''Curious Myths of the Middle Ages'', London. Rivington's, 1877, p. 190]{{PD-notice}}</ref> [[Haida mythology]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Harrison |first1=Charles |title=The Hydah mission, Queen Charlotte's Islands. An account of the mission and people, with a descriptive letter from the Rev. Charles Harrison |date=c. 1884 |page=20 |url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcbooks/items/1.0222261 |via=University of British Columbia Library |language=en}}</ref> and [[Latvian mythology]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://valoda.ailab.lv/folklora/pasakas/13/13C00.htm |title=Latvian folktales and legends (Latviešu pasakas un teikas) Vol. 13|last=Šmits |first=Pēteris |date=1936 |website=Latviešu valodas resursi|publisher=Valters un Rapa |access-date=Oct 27, 2023 |quote=Legends from 8 to 14 cover different variations of this legend. (Latvian language only)}}</ref>

=== Projective tests ===
The [[Rorschach test|Rorschach inkblot test]] uses pareidolia in an attempt to gain insight into a person's mental state. The Rorschach is a [[projective test]] that elicits thoughts or feelings of respondents that are "projected" onto the ambiguous inkblot images.<ref name="zusne" />    Rorschach inkblots have low-fractal-dimension boundary contours, which may elicit general shape-naming behaviors, serving as vehicles for projected meanings.<ref name="SPIE"/>

===Banknotes===
Owing to the way designs are [[engraving|engraved]] and printed, occurrences of pareidolia have occasionally been reported in banknotes.

One example is the 1954 [[Canadian Landscape]] [[Canadian dollar]] banknote series, known among collectors as the "Devil's Head" variety of the initial print runs. The obverse of the notes features what appears to be an exaggerated grinning face, formed from patterns in the hair of [[Queen Elizabeth II]]. The phenomenon generated enough attention for revised designs to be issued in 1956, which removed the effect.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1954 series |url=https://www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/bank-note-series/past-series/1954-series/ |access-date=2023-06-29 |website=www.bankofcanada.ca |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Literature ===
Renaissance authors have shown a particular interest in pareidolia. In [[William Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[Hamlet]]'', for example, [[Prince Hamlet]] points at the sky and "demonstrates" his supposed madness in this exchange with [[Polonius]]:<ref>Shakespeare, William. ''Hamlet.'' 3.3.367-73</ref><ref>Raber, Karen. ''Shakespeare and Posthumanist Theory''. Arden Shakespeare (2018) pp. 80–1 {{ISBN|978-1474234436}}</ref>

:{{dialogue
|Hamlet|Do you see yonder cloud that's almost in the shape of a camel?
|Polonius|By th'Mass and 'tis, like a camel indeed.
|Hamlet|Methinks it is a weasel.
|Polonius|It is backed like a weasel.
|Hamlet|Or a whale.
|Polonius|Very like a whale.}}

[[Nathaniel Hawthorne]] wrote a short story called "[[The Great Stone Face (Hawthorne)|The Great Stone Face]]" in which a face seen in the side of a mountain (based on the real-life [[Old Man of the Mountain, New Hampshire|The Old Man of the Mountain]]) is revered by a village.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hawthorne |first=Nathaniel |author-link = Nathaniel Hawthorne |title=The Great Stone Face |year=1850}}</ref>

=== Art ===
[[File:Giuseppe Arcimboldo - The Jurist - WGA00837.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[The Jurist (painting)|The Jurist]]'' by [[Giuseppe Arcimboldo]], 1566. What appears to be his face is a collection of fish and poultry, while his body is a collection of books dressed in a coat.]]
[[File:Salem painting 1908.jpeg|thumb|left|''[[Salem (Vosper painting)|Salem]]'' by [[Sydney Curnow Vosper]] (1908), a painting notorious for the belief that the face of the devil was hidden in the main character's shawl]]
{{see also|Hidden face}}
[[Renaissance art]]ists often used pareidolia in paintings and drawings: [[Andrea Mantegna]], [[Leonardo da Vinci]], [[Giotto]], [[Hans Holbein the Younger|Hans Holbein]], [[Giuseppe Arcimboldo]], and many more have shown images—often human faces—that due to pareidolia appear in objects or clouds.<ref>Raber, Karen. ''Shakespeare and Posthumanist Theory''. Arden Shakespeare (2018) pp. 81–2 {{ISBN|978-1474234436}}</ref>

In his notebooks, [[Leonardo da Vinci]] wrote of pareidolia as a device for painters, writing:
{{blockquote|If you look at any walls spotted with various stains or with a mixture of different kinds of stones, if you are about to invent some scene you will be able to see in it a resemblance to various different landscapes adorned with mountains, rivers, rocks, trees, plains, wide valleys, and various groups of hills. You will also be able to see divers combats and figures in quick movement, and strange expressions of faces, and outlandish costumes, and an infinite number of things which you can then reduce into separate and well conceived forms.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://archive.org/stream/leonardodavincis007918mbp/leonardodavincis007918mbp_djvu.txt | editor1-last =John | editor1-first = R | editor2-first =J | editor2-last = Don Read| first =Leonardo | last = Da Vinci | title = Note-Books Arranged And Rendered Into English| publisher =Empire State Book Co |year= 1923}}</ref>}}

[[Salem (Vosper painting)|''Salem'']], a 1908 painting by [[Sydney Curnow Vosper]], gained notoriety due to a rumour that it contained a hidden face, that of the devil. This led many commentators to visualize a demonic face depicted in the shawl of the main figure, despite the artist's denial that any faces had deliberately been painted into the shawl.<ref name="Walesonline">{{cite web|title=Nostalgic image still fascinates, a hundred years on|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/nostalgic-image-still-fascinates-hundred-1891687|website=Wales Online|date=15 October 2010|publisher=Media Wales Ltd}}</ref><ref name="BBCNewsGwyneddMuseum">{{cite web|title=Salem painting memories on show at Gwynedd Museum|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-23096491|website=BBC Wales News|publisher=BBC|date=29 June 2013}}</ref>

[[Surrealism|Surrealist]] artists such as [[Salvador Dalí]] would intentionally use pareidolia in their works, often in the form of a [[hidden face]].
{{Clear}}

=== Architecture ===
[[file:NigdePortalAlaaddin.jpg|thumb|upright|Illusory woman in the Niğde Alaaddin Mosque portal]]
Two 13th-century edifices in Turkey display architectural use of shadows of stone carvings at the entrance. Outright pictures are avoided in Islam but tessellations and calligraphic pictures were allowed, so designed "accidental" silhouettes of carved stone tessellations became a creative escape. 
*[[Niğde Alaaddin Mosque]] in [[Niğde]], Turkey (1223), with its "mukarnas" art where the shadows of three-dimensional ornamentation with stone masonry around the entrance form a [[chiaroscuro]] drawing of a woman's face with a crown and long hair appearing at a specific time, at some specific days of the year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nevsehirkentrehberim.com/?Bid=1047024 |title=Niğde Alaaddin Camii 'nin Kapısındaki Kadın Silüetinin Sırrı? |year=2011 |access-date=21 April 2019 |work=Nevşehir Kentrehberim |language=tr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nigdekulturturizm.gov.tr/TR,74357/camiler.html |title=Camiler, ALÂEDDİN CAMİ |access-date=21 April 2019 |work=[[Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı]] |language=tr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://wha.com.tr/en/world_heritages_of_turkey_tentative_lists_33.php |title=HISTORICAL MONUMENTS OF NIGDE |year=2013 |access-date=21 April 2019 |work=World Heritage Academy |archive-date=14 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514161432/http://wha.com.tr/en/world_heritages_of_turkey_tentative_lists_33.php }}</ref> 
*[[Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital]] in [[Sivas]], Turkey (1229), shows shadows of the three-dimensional ornaments of both entrances of the mosque part, to cast a giant shadow of a praying man that changes pose as the sun moves, as if to illustrate what the purpose of the building is. Another detail is the difference in the impressions of the clothing of the two shadow-men indicating two different styles, possibly to tell who is to enter through which door.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fotogaleri.haberler.com/divrigi-ulu-camii-nde-namaz-kilan-insan/ |title=DİVRİĞİ ULU CAMİİ'NDE 'NAMAZ KILAN İNSAN' SİLÜETİ |date=14 July 2014 |access-date=21 April 2019 |work=Haberler |language=tr |archive-date=22 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222140647/http://fotogaleri.haberler.com/divrigi-ulu-camii-nde-namaz-kilan-insan/ }}</ref>
{{Clear}}

=== Religion ===
{{Further|Perceptions of religious imagery in natural phenomena}}
There have been many instances of perceptions of religious imagery and themes, especially the faces of religious figures, in ordinary phenomena. Many involve images of [[Jesus]],<ref name="zusne">{{cite book |last1=Zusne |first1=Leonard |author-link=Leonard Zusne |first2=Warren H |last2=Jones |title=Anomalistic Psychology: A Study of Magical Thinking |publisher=[[Lawrence Erlbaum Associates]] |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-8058-0508-6 |pages=77–79 |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0805805087 |access-date=6 April 2007}}</ref> the [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary]],<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/23/nyregion/in-a-tree-trunk-in-new-jersey-some-see-our-lady-of-guadalupe.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |title=In New Jersey, a Knot in a Tree Trunk Draws the Faithful and the Skeptical |date=July 23, 2012 |access-date=21 April 2019 |first=Nate |last=Schweber |page=16 }}</ref> the word [[Allah]],<ref>{{cite news |first=Yahaya |last=Ibrahim |title=In Maiduguri, a tree with engraved name of God turns spot to a Mecca of sorts |date=2 January 2011 |url=http://sundaytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5698:in-maiduguri-a-tree-with-engraved-name-of-god-turns-spot-to-a-mecca-of-sorts&catid=17:community-news-kanem-trust&Itemid=28 |newspaper=[[Sunday Trust]] |location=Abuja |access-date=21 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104031545/http://sundaytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5698:in-maiduguri-a-tree-with-engraved-name-of-god-turns-spot-to-a-mecca-of-sorts&catid=17:community-news-kanem-trust&Itemid=28 |archive-date=4 November 2012}}</ref> or other religious phenomena: in September 2007 in [[Singapore]], for example, a [[callus (cell biology)|callus]] on a tree resembled a [[monkey]], leading believers to pay homage to the "Monkey god" (either [[Sun Wukong]] or [[Hanuman]]) in the monkey tree phenomenon.<ref name="Ng Hui Hui">{{cite news |url=http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/printfriendly/0,4139,141806,00.html |last=Ng |first=Hui Hui |title=Monkey See, Monkey Do? |newspaper=[[The New Paper]] |date=13 September 2007 |pages=12–13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014083330/http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/printfriendly/0,4139,141806,00.html |archive-date=14 October 2007 |access-date=21 April 2019 }}</ref>

Publicity surrounding sightings of religious figures and other surprising images in ordinary objects has spawned a market for such items on online auctions like [[eBay]]. One famous instance was a grilled cheese sandwich with the face of the Virgin Mary.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4034787.stm |title='Virgin Mary' toast fetches $28,000 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=23 November 2004 |access-date=27 October 2006 |publisher=[[BBC]]}}</ref> This was parodied in the ''Glee'' episode "[[Grilled Cheesus]]".

During the [[September 11 attacks]], television viewers supposedly saw the face of [[Satan]] in clouds of smoke billowing out of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] after it was struck by [[United Airlines Flight 175|the airplane]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/satans-face-in-the-smoke-on-911-4075319 |title=Does the Devil's Face Appear in the Smoke on 9/11? |first=David |last=Emery |date=2 September 2018 |access-date=21 April 2019 |work=[[ThoughtCo.]] |archive-date=21 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421100037/https://www.thoughtco.com/satans-face-in-the-smoke-on-911-4075319 }}</ref> Another example of face recognition pareidolia originated in the [[Notre-Dame de Paris fire|fire at Notre Dame Cathedral]], when a few observers claimed to see Jesus in the flames.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/jesus-flames-notre-dame-232759116.html |title=People Claim To See Jesus In Flames Engulfing Notre Dame Cathedral |work=[[Huffington Post]] |first=David |last=Moye |date=April 17, 2019 |access-date=21 April 2019 |via=[[Yahoo! Lifestyle]] }}</ref>

While attempting to validate the imprint of a [[Crucifixion|crucified]] man on the [[Shroud of Turin]] as [[Jesus]], a variety of objects have been described as being visible on the [[linen]]. These objects include a number of plant species, a coin with [[Roman numerals]], and multiple insect species.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Sheen|first1=Mercedes|last2=Jordan|first2=Timothy R.|date=July 2016|title=Believing is Seeing: A Perspective on Perceiving Images of Objects on the Shroud of Turin|url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1163/15736121-12341320|journal=Archive for the Psychology of Religion|language=en|volume=38|issue=2|pages=232–251|doi=10.1163/15736121-12341320|s2cid=147803332|issn=0084-6724|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In an experimental setting using a picture of plain linen cloth, participants who had been told that there could possibly be visible words in the cloth, collectively saw 2 religious words. Those told that the cloth was of some religious importance saw 12 religious words, and those who were also told that it was of religious importance, but also given suggestions of possible religious words, saw 37 religious words.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sheen|first1=Mercedes|last2=Jordan|first2=Timothy R.|date=December 2015|title=Effects of Contextual Information on Seeing Pareidolic Religious Inscriptions on an Artifact: Implications for the Shroud of Turin|url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0301006615607156|journal=Perception|language=en|volume=44|issue=12|pages=1427–1430|doi=10.1177/0301006615607156|pmid=26562867|s2cid=27845771|issn=0301-0066|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The researchers posit that the reason the Shroud has been said to have so many different symbols and objects is because it was already deemed to have the imprint of Jesus prior to the search for symbols and other imprints in the cloth, and therefore it was simply pareidolia at work.<ref name=":0" />

=== Computer vision ===
{{Further information|Hallucination (artificial intelligence)}}
[[File:Aurelia-aurita-3-0049 (cropped).jpg|thumbnail|Given an image of jellyfish swimming, the [[DeepDream]] program can be encouraged to "see" dogs.]]
Pareidolia can occur in [[computer vision]],<ref>Chalup, Stephan K., Kenny Hong, and Michael J. Ostwald. "[https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephan_Chalup/publication/228735838_Simulating_Pareidolia_of_Faces_for_Architectural_Image_Analysis/links/0fcfd511b3ff280efe000000/Simulating-Pareidolia-of-Faces-for-Architectural-Image-Analysis.pdf Simulating pareidolia of faces for architectural image analysis]." brain 26.91 (2010): 100.</ref> specifically in [[Computer vision#Bababoui|image recognition]] programs, in which vague clues can spuriously detect images or [[feature (computer vision)|features]]. In the case of an [[artificial neural network]], higher-level features correspond to more recognizable features, and enhancing these features brings out what the computer sees. These examples of pareidolia reflect the training set of images that the network has "seen" previously.

Striking visuals can be produced in this way, notably in the [[DeepDream]] software, which falsely detects and then exaggerates features such as eyes and faces in any image. The features can be further exaggerated by creating a [[feedback loop]] where the output is used as the input for the network. (The adjacent image was created by iterating the loop 50 times.) Additionally the output can be modified such as slightly zooming in to create an animation of the images perspective flying through the surrealistic imagery.

=== {{Anchor|Speech}}Auditory ===
In 1971 [[Konstantīns Raudive]] wrote ''Breakthrough'', detailing what he believed was the discovery of [[electronic voice phenomenon|electronic voice phenomena]] (EVP). EVP has been described as auditory pareidolia.<ref name="zusne" /> Allegations of [[backmasking]] in popular music, in which a listener claims a message has been recorded backward onto a track meant to be played forward, have also been described as auditory pareidolia.<ref name="zusne" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Vokey |first1=John R. |last2=Read |first2=J. Don |title=Subliminal messages: Between the devil and the media |journal=American Psychologist |volume=40 |issue=11 |pages=1231–9 |year=1985 |pmid=4083611 |doi=10.1037/0003-066X.40.11.1231 |s2cid=15819412 }}</ref> In 1995, the psychologist [[Diana Deutsch]] invented an algorithm for producing phantom words and phrases with the sounds coming from two stereo loudspeakers, one to the listener's left and the other to his right, producing a phase offset in time between the speakers. After listening for a while, phantom words and phrases suddenly emerge, and these often appear to reflect what is on the listener's mind.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://philomel.com/musical_illusions/|last1=Deutsch |first1=D. |title=Musical Illusions and Paradoxes|journal=Philomel Records|year=1995 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://philomel.com/phantom_words/|last1=Deutsch |first1=D. |title=Phantom Words and Other Curiosities|journal=Philomel Records|year=2003 }}</ref>

== Deliberate practical use ==
<!--Please help me rename this title. The reason for this separate section is to distinguish the self-conscious pareidolia and the unintended, unelicited pareidolia.-->

=== Medical education, radiology images ===
[[File:Ascaris female 200x section.jpg|thumb|Cross-section of [[nematode]] worm ''[[Ascaris]]'']]
Medical educators sometimes teach medical students and resident physicians (doctors in training) to use pareidolia and patternicity to learn to recognize human anatomy on radiology imaging studies.

Examples include assessing radiographs (X-ray images) of the human vertebral spine. Patrick Foye, M.D., professor of [[physical medicine and rehabilitation]] at [[Rutgers University]], [[New Jersey Medical School]], has written that pareidolia is used to teach medical trainees to assess for spinal fractures and spinal malignancies (cancers).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Foye |first1=P |last2=Abdelshahed |first2=D |last3=Patel |first3=S |title=Musculoskeletal pareidolia in medical education. |journal=The Clinical Teacher |date=July 2014 |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=251–3 |doi=10.1111/tct.12143 |pmid=24917091|s2cid=206318208 }}</ref> When viewing spinal radiographs, normal bony anatomic structures resemble the face of an owl. (The spinal pedicles resemble an owl's eyes and the spinous process resembles an owl's beak.) But when cancer erodes the bony spinal pedicle, the radiographic appearance changes such that now that eye of the owl seems missing or closed, which is called the "winking owl sign". Another common pattern is a "Scottie dog sign" on a spinal X-ray.<ref>{{cite web |first=Craig |last=Hacking |title=Scottie dog sign (spine) |url=https://radiopaedia.org/articles/scottie-dog-sign-spine |website=radiopedia.com |date=28 October 2020 |access-date=2 November 2021 }}</ref>

In 2021, Foye again published in the medical literature on this topic, in a medical journal article called "Baby Yoda: Pareidolia and Patternicity in Sacral MRI and CT Scans".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Foye |first1=PM |last2=Koger |first2=TJ |last3=Massey |first3=HR |title=Baby Yoda: Pareidolia and Patternicity in Sacral MRI and CT Scans. |journal=PM&R: The Journal of Injury, Function, and Rehabilitation |date=February 2021 |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=217–218 |doi=10.1002/pmrj.12496 |pmid=32969166|s2cid=221887340 }}</ref> Here, he introduced a novel way of visualizing the [[sacrum]] when viewing MRI [[magnetic resonance imaging]] and [[CT scan]]s (computed tomography scans). He noted that in certain image slices the human sacral anatomy resembles the face of "Baby Yoda" (also called [[Grogu]]), a fictional character from the television show ''[[The Mandalorian]]''. Sacral openings for exiting nerves (sacral foramina) resemble Baby Yoda's eyes, while the sacral canal resembles Baby Yoda's mouth.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Foye |first1=Patrick |title=Baby Yoda: Pareidolia and Patternicity in Sacral MRI and CT Scans {{!}} Tailbone Doctor |url=https://tailbonedoctor.com/baby-yoda-pareidolia-and-patternicity-in-sacral-mri-and-ct-scans/ |website=tailbonedoctor.com |access-date=21 February 2021 |date=20 February 2021}}</ref>

=== In popular culture ===
{{see also|Among Us#Memes and mods}}
[[File:TST East Waterfront Podium Garden trash bin.JPG|thumb|upright|Many [[Internet memes]] about the online game ''[[Among Us]]'' exploit pareidolia, by showing everyday items (in this case, a trashcan) that look similar to characters from the game.]]

In January 2017, an anonymous user placed an [[eBay]] auction of a [[Cheeto]] that looked like the gorilla [[Harambe]]. Bidding began at {{Usd|11.99|link=yes}}, but the Cheeto was eventually sold for {{Usd|99,000}}.<ref>{{cite news |title=Burbank man sells Harambe-shaped Cheeto for nearly $100K on eBay |url=https://abc7.com/harambe-cheeto-ebay-hot-gorilla-cincinnati-zoo/1741673/ |access-date=16 August 2023 |work=ABC7 |agency=ABC News |publisher=KABC Television LLC |date=8 February 2017}}</ref>

Starting from 2021, an [[Internet meme]] emerged around the online game ''[[Among Us]]'', where users presented everyday items such as dogs, statues, garbage cans, big toes, and pictures of the [[Boomerang Nebula]] that looked like the game's "crewmate" protagonists.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kennedy |first1=Victoria Phillips |title=Among Us Everywhere: Things That Look Like Among Us Crewmates |url=https://screenrant.com/among-us-everywhere-meme-look-like-crewmates-impostors/ |website=Screen Rant |date=18 April 2021 |access-date=16 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Robert N. |title=The Coldest Spot in Space Looks Like an Among Us Crewmate |url=https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/coldest-spot-in-space-looks-like-among-us-crewmate |website=TechRaptor |access-date=16 August 2023 |language=en |date=8 February 2022}}</ref> In May 2021, an [[eBay]] user named Tav listed a [[Chicken McNuggets|Chicken McNugget]] shaped like a crewmate from ''Among Us'' for [[online auction]]. The Chicken McNugget was sold for {{Usd|99,997}} to an anonymous buyer.<ref name="Kooser-2021">{{Cite web |last=Kooser |first=Amanda |date=2021-06-03 |title=McDonald's chicken nugget shaped like Among Us crewmate fetching $100,000 on eBay |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/among-us-crewmate-shaped-chicken-nugget-from-bts-meal-nears-100000-on-ebay/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203025105/https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/among-us-crewmate-shaped-chicken-nugget-from-bts-meal-nears-100000-on-ebay/ |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=[[CNET]] |publisher=[[Red Ventures]] |language=en}}</ref>

== Related phenomena ==
A [[shadow person]] (also known as a shadow figure, shadow being or black mass) is often attributed to pareidolia. It is the perception of a patch of shadow as a living, humanoid figure, particularly as interpreted by believers in the [[paranormal]] or [[supernatural]] as the presence of a spirit or other entity.<ref name="Idiot's Guide">{{cite book|last=Ahlquist|first=Diane|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Life After Death|year=2007|publisher=Penguin Group|location=US|isbn=978-1-59257-651-7|page=122|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0lkscwxGSoAC&q=dark+shadow+entity+corner+eye&pg=PA122}}</ref>

Pareidolia is also what some skeptics believe causes people to believe that they have seen [[Ghost#Scientific view|ghosts]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://skepdic.com/pareidol.html |title=pareidolia |last=Carroll |first=Robert Todd |date= June 2001|work=skepdic.com |access-date=2007-09-19}}</ref>

== See also ==

* {{Annotated link |Clustering illusion}}
* {{annotated link|Conspiracy theory}} (another example of apophenia)
* {{Annotated link |Eigenface}}
* {{Annotated link |Hitler teapot}}
* {{Annotated link |Madonna of the Toast|''Madonna of the Toast''}}
* {{Annotated link |Mondegreen}}
* [[Musical ear syndrome]] – similar to auditory pareidolia, but with hearing loss
* {{Annotated link |Optical illusion}}
* {{Annotated link |Perceptions of religious imagery in natural phenomena}}
* {{Annotated link |Signal-to-noise ratio}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{sister project links|d=Q506422|c=category:Pareidolias|wikt=pareidolia|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|s=no|species=no|q=no}}
* [https://skepdic.com/pareidol.html Skepdic.com] Skeptic's Dictionary definition of pareidolia
* [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2016/11/the-japanese-museum-of-rocks-that-look-like-faces A Japanese museum of rocks which look like faces]
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/13/health/psychology/13face.html Article in ''The New York Times'', 13 February 2007, about cognitive science of face recognition]
* [https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/does-this-look-like-a-face-to-you/# Article in ''Scientific American'', 25 March 2022, "Does This Look like a Face to You?"]

{{Hidden messages}}

[[Category:Pareidolia| ]]
[[Category:1860s neologisms]]
[[Category:Auditory illusions]]
[[Category:Cognitive biases]]
[[Category:Optical illusions]]
[[Category:Visual perception]]