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Pareidolia is the tendency for people to perceive images or sounds in random stimuli, so that one detects an object, pattern, or meaning where there is none. Pareidolia is a type of apophenia. Apophenia is the human tendency to perceive meaningful patterns within random data.

A common example is the perception of a face within an inanimate object—the headlights and grill of an automobile may appear to be "grinning". People around the world see the "Man in the Moon". People sometimes see the face of a religious figure in a piece of toast or in the grain of a piece of wood.

Pareidolia usually occurs as a result of the part of the human brain responsible for seeing faces to mistakenly interpreting an object, shape or configuration with some kind of perceived "face-like" features as being a face.

Example

The above picture is of Mt. Baker in northwestern Washington state. It was circulated with the following email:

Bro. Branham on the Mountain

Did you see Bro. Branham's face in the mountain yesterday?? Sis. ________ showed it to me on her camera, and I had to take a picture. It was so clear even the kids could see it.

This is a clear example of apophenia. Can you also see the bird? Is that an eagle? No... wait... it looks like a goose. Is it William Branham or just a pattern that looks like a face? Or is it whatever you think it is?

Footnotes

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 [[Image:2010 08 15 Mt Baker.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Click on the picture to see it full size]]
-Apophenia is the human tendency to perceive meaningful patterns within random data. Pareidolia is the tendency for perception to impose a meaningful interpretation on a nebulous stimulus, usually visual, so that one detects an object, pattern, or meaning where there is none. Pareidolia is a type of apophenia.
+Pareidolia is the tendency for people to perceive images or sounds in random stimuli, so that one detects an object, pattern, or meaning where there is none. Pareidolia is a type of apophenia. Apophenia is the human tendency to perceive meaningful patterns within random data.
-Pareidolia is a type of apophenia involving the perception of images or sounds in random stimuli.
-A common example is the perception of a face within an inanimate object—the headlights and grill of an automobile may appear to be "grinning". People around the world see the "Man in the Moon".[8] People sometimes see the face of a religious figure in a piece of toast or in the grain of a piece of wood. There is strong evidence that psychedelic drugs tend to induce or enhance pareidolia.[citation needed]
+A common example is the perception of a face within an inanimate object—the headlights and grill of an automobile may appear to be "grinning". People around the world see the "Man in the Moon". People sometimes see the face of a religious figure in a piece of toast or in the grain of a piece of wood.
-Pareidolia usually occurs as a result of the fusiform face area—which is the part of the human brain responsible for seeing faces—mistakenly interpreting an object, shape or configuration with some kind of perceived "face-like" features as being a face.
+Pareidolia usually occurs as a result of the part of the human brain responsible for seeing faces to mistakenly interpreting an object, shape or configuration with some kind of perceived "face-like" features as being a face.
 =Example=
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 This is a clear example of apophenia.  Can you also see the bird?  Is that an eagle?  No... wait... it looks like a goose.  Is it William Branham or just a pattern that looks like a face?  Or is it whatever you think it is?
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