Do you see faces everywhere? Why some people see faces in everyday objects...
Have you ever seen an image of a face where there wasn’t one? Perhaps in a fire hydrant or a rock pile or a house? Believe it or not, this is a natural thing all humans do.
This week's Tuesday opinion considers how and why people tend to see faces in everyday objects. Then, we invite you to experiment and try to find faces in your surroundings. What can we learn about human nature through this exercise?
Watch the video below to learn more about the concepts of why we see faces in objects.
What you just experienced is called “face pareidolia".
You are going to read an article about this phenomenon - click this link , or download the file if you prefer to work with a document.
Questions
1. The author writes that humans are “hypersocial” animals. Break down this word into its two parts: “hyper” and “social.” What do you think it means? What is one example from the article that shows that humans are “hypersocial”?
2. Why are humans wired to see faces, according to Susan Wardle, a scientist who studies face pareidolia?
3. What does Wardle say is the secret to seeing more “illusory faces” — or images of faces, even where there are none — in your everyday life?
4. The author writes, “Don’t be surprised if you find yourself gendering these inanimate-object visages as predominantly male.” In other words, people tend to think of the illusory faces they see as male instead of female. Why do you think that might be?
5. What part of the brain activates when we see faces in objects? Why, at first, might our brains think of these faces as threats?
GOING FURTHER
The author ends by encouraging readers to “Let yourself delight” in the faces you might see in sandwiches, storm-drain covers, buildings and more.
So give it a try: Go out, look around and see how many images of faces you can find in everyday objects.
Remember Wardle’s advice: “Just stare out, not looking at anything in particular, and allow yourself to see patterns.”
You might even take a camera and photograph the faces you see. Put them together in a slide show or video, like the one you viewed in the warm-up activity, and share it with us
Then, reflect on this week's Tuesday Opinion with these questions:
How easy was it for you to spot faces in objects?
Did Wardle’s advice work for you? What else helped you see faces, even where there might not be any?
Did you, as the author suggested, find this exercise delightful? Why do you think that is? What did this exercise reveal to you about human nature?
What further questions do you have about face pareidolia?
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