What it means if you can see faces in objects

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Susan G. Wardle |

TED-Ed

• June 2023

Imagine opening a bag of chips, only to find Santa Claus looking back at you. Or turning a corner to see a building smiling at you. Humans see faces in all kinds of mundane objects, but these faces aren't real — they're illusions due to a phenomenon known as face pareidolia. So why exactly does this happen, and how far does this distortion go? Susan G. Wardle explores why we see illusory faces. [Directed by Oksana Kurmaz, narrated by Alexandra Panzer, music by André Aires].