Pareidolia (Seeing Faces and More in Everyday Scenery)

 Example #1: Person Standing Over Edge of A Cliff Seen In Background of One Photo but Not Another.

Example #2: My family member went on a hike – but someone (or something) else showed up in her photo.

The Pareidolia episode:

• Pareidolia is the tendency to perceive familiar patterns, especially faces, in random or ambiguous images and objects.
• Common examples include seeing faces in clouds, rock formations, or everyday items like breakfast foods.

Etymology and Origins

• The term derives from Greek roots: "para" meaning "beyond" and "eidolon" meaning "image," so it literally means "beyond image".
• Unlike many Greek-derived words, "pareidolia" entered English via German, not directly from Greek through Latin.

Usage and Cultural Context

• The concept has existed for a long time, but the term "pareidolia" has seen a sharp increase in English usage since around the year 2000.
• Its rise in popularity may be linked to increased cultural interest in mysticism, unexplained phenomena, and the broader acceptance of discussing pattern recognition in psychology and social media.

Typical Examples

• Seeing religious figures in natural or manufactured surfaces (e.g., the Virgin Mary in a rock or toast).
• Identifying animals or faces in clouds, wallpaper patterns, or rock formations.
• The phenomenon is generally restricted to naturally occurring or random patterns, not intentional human-made images like Mount Rushmore.

Psychological and Social Aspects

• Pareidolia is explained as the brain's tendency to seek out familiar patterns, especially faces, as a survival mechanism.
• The effect can spark debates, especially when images appear to show ghostly figures or unexplained presences in photos, leading to discussions about whether these are genuine phenomena or simply cases of pareidolia.

Modern Relevance

• The term is now frequently used in online discussions, particularly on social media and forums like Reddit, to explain mysterious or ambiguous images.
• Advances in technology, such as AI and image manipulation, have made it even more important to distinguish between genuine images and those altered or interpreted through pareidolia.

Notable Anecdotes

• Personal stories, such as seeing faces in wallpaper as a child, illustrate that while the term is relatively new in English, the experience of pareidolia is universal and longstanding.
• Viral internet cases often center around photos where viewers are divided between believing in a supernatural presence and attributing the image to pareidolia.

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Any views expressed on this podcast are those solely of the hosts and is for entertainment purposes only. None of the content is medical advice or financial advice.

Special thanks to Tim Wright aka CoLD SToRAGE for his permission to use the song Operatique.

Transcript

I Hate Talking: 0:29

Welcome to episode 63 of I Hate Talking. Hi everyone. So, we have an interesting word or phrase of the episode, and that is the word era do lia. OK. Yes, and I did have to slow down and pronounce it. Headolia Headol Heololia. OK. So, any guesses at what that means? Well, pararo would mean like side, right, or secondary. So, just reading syllables, I would say it would be like program or uh cooperation where you come alongside someone to learn language. Is that right? Like a secondary language? So that would be era. This is actually era. I can't hear the difference. Say that again. Pera or era. Say it again. Para or era. Y'all, do you hear a difference? It sounds exactly the same. So once P A R A, once P A R E. Yes, and the word that we're doing is P A R E. It sounds 100% the same. Say it one more time. Pera or era. Can't hear the difference. OK. This is why I hate talking. It sounds the same. OK, go on. So, it is a word from Greek, but it does not come from the Greek into our typical. European languages and then into English it actually went from Greek into German. And then became used within the English language. So we'll get into more about that in a moment. OK. That is the origin was from Greek and it means era beyond and Eilon image. So beyond image, beyond image in the literal definition of paraoia. So what does the para mean? P A R E. And then doe, what was that, do. So the original word was Eilon for image, those when they become combined, I guess the E. Comes combined, so there's only a single e when those two Greek root words are combined. So then you have eradolia. So beyond image. Beyond image. OK. And how did you hear about this word? So the reason that this word came up is because it has become more frequently used in the modern English lexicon, and the particular thing that I saw was that this word has become used more frequently and that the person's thesis I was talking about this was that it is an instance of predictive programming. OK. So I guess we should define what the word means because we've surround it, I guess a little bit with the origin and the Greek etymology, but it basically means that you see faces in things that have no faces. Well, OK, that's not what I would have guessed it meant. Yeah, so, typically it's used when you see the image of a face within some scene or picture, but it can actually be any familiar pattern that is in random or ambiguous images. But essentially that you see some sort of familiar image in that typically faces. So, like, in Catholicism, it's pretty um popular or they're excited to see maybe Mother Mary in a rock formation or in a breakfast plate, right? Right in your -- cereal or pancake or waffle or a -- Pringles chip. So that would count. That would be an instance ofadilia. So a secondary count would be maybe seeing something else in a formation. Does it have to be natural or would like Mount Rushmore count? This would typically be some sort of natural, random or ambiguous formation. So the examples given here are clouds, rocks, or other inanimate objects. OK, so we're looking at clouds and we're like, hey, I see a bunny, and someone else is like, I see a crane. That's perolia. OK. Right. So. But something structured like Mount Rushmore or the Lincoln Memorial would not be, cause that was man-made. Correct, yeah, that is actually formed to be the face. So if you see a face in something that was specifically formed to look like a face, that is not peridolia. But maybe the rock formations that maybe look like a bear or a table, and that sort of thing, that would be peridollium. Adelia, yes. Adolia. So the person is actually not incorrect in the fact that this has become more frequently used in recent times, at least within English. Mhm. OK, how's it spelled? E A R E I D O L I A. Yeah, I pronounce it very differently. It's Adolierradolia. OK? This is from the Greeks. He said that's how we pronounce it. Correct. So if we look at the Ngram viewer from the 1800s to 2022 is for this particular word, the latest record that it has in its library of word and usage. But it essentially is flat from 1800 until maybe the late 1900s, early 2000s. So, if we zoom in here from 1990 to 2022. You can see that basically around the year 2000, it starts a steep incline to its peak usage in the very recent time of 2022. OK, hmm. So the reason that this person brought this up is because like I said, they believed it to be a case of predictive programming where people are being told to see faces and things, and not necessarily just the fact that perhaps this is an adopted word from the German that again adopted it from the Greek. To describe finding images that are beyond the original. Thing that they are looking at. So, because this is in reference to different stuff or because it's just more culturally acceptable? Cause I remember, you know, 20 years ago or almost, when you and I would go hiking and see a rock formation that looked like a bear. And that was, it seemed like it was a long time ago. And then, like, if I use my imagination, I could see the bear. But if I was walking past it and on our hike, I would not have, like, recognized that initially. Yes, so, I believe that maybe some of the reason that it's become used more in recent time might be a little bit culturally related, perhaps with the fact that Perhaps people are being a little bit more interested in mysticism, as it were, and some of the things around perhaps some of the unexplained things with different cryptids or aliens or something like that that. This actually could be somewhat of an explanation perhaps of those things is that. You're not just making it up, but. There actually is something there. Hm. Again, I think that is all, again, perhaps more of an explanation. That the brain is actually seeing something that is not there because the brain is simply looking for familiar patterns. And making up these images that are beyond what is actually real. So I guess the one famous The particular thing was of a hiker that took a selfie or maybe perhaps set the camera on a tripod and took a photo, or maybe they were even just taking a photo of the scenery, and then after they posted this picture, there was a lot of commentary on social media that there was a person there. In the background. Huh, cause I saw like a ghost or like a rock, or what do you mean by that? So, let me see if I can find the picture here, and we'll see if we can See if you see the face. So, upon searching this, As we were Doing that, I found a different story. So you can take a look at this image and see if you see anything in the background that looks. Familiar. From this Image Correct. OK, if I'm using my um I imagine, I screenshotted it, we'll share it on Instagram. So, if y'all wanna make your guess before, pause it right now, and go look at Instagram, and come back. Uh, I would say it looks like. An eagle. And their egg nest. That's what I see. OK, interesting. What am I supposed to see? Let's zoom in. Add the red circle. OK, I just screenshotted. And again with the red circle and zooming in, it looks like a man. White shirt, black pants. Right, there is no other person there. According to the person because there was a hike in the middle of nowhere and they had no other. Awareness of any other people in the area. That's like a formation, that would be too big for a human. Precisely. So, OK, scroll back to the screenshot we had. The very first screenshot. So I'm looking back at the original photo, that's not highlighted. Now that I know what to look for, I see the white shirt. I don't see the black pants, and I, it just looks like. An area that the trucks dug out and A hike in area during the hiking. What do you see? Yeah, I think that I agree that from the zoomed out perspective that it may be just a feature of the rock formation in the background. there is actually some similar colored rock. And then down south too, yeah. But it would be, it's not a regular sized person, it's like a rock formation person. So, That is not the original image that I was looking for. It's another one that came up when looking for this hiker picture with a face in the background. So let's see if we can find the one that I was thinking of. So their faces, are they thinking it's like a ghost, or they acknowledge it's their imagination. That's the debate is that many people on social media sites and Reddit and things of that nature will just cite this paraadolia effect, explain it. But there are the other side that think that it's actually a person or some sort of like you said spirit or other worldly being that is present. And again, the reason that this particular word came up is because the person that was describing this word. Described it as only being used within the past 20 years and I was like, hm maybe that's true, maybe that's not because this is a word that's formed on Greek and Latin so it could be much older, but they were actually quite correct that in the modern English it has only been used in the last two decades. OK, well, good job for them. Good job. You know who you are. This, as you're looking that up, it reminds me of my childhood. Uh, my parents' bathroom, like the bathroom in her, my parents' house, the main bathroom had a, like a wallpaper with random designs on it. Do you know what I'm talking about? I still have it. That sounds familiar. So, when I was a child, I was convinced they were faces, different pictures on there. And it freaked me out so bad. So much so that when I was at a certain age, I couldn't use that restroom. Because I was convinced all those faces were looking at me. And I had to create a song that I'd seen out loud, using the bathroom about, like, I'm not scared of you, you're just my imagination. I'm like, I'm not scared of you. You're just a picture. And I'd like, say those things over and over again, because I could not use the restroom. And still to this day, when we go visit them, It's the same wallpaper, and I still see the same photos, and I just have to repeat like, I'm not scared any longer. But that phrase in my head of like, you're just a picture, I'm not scared of you, comes to my mind every time I use the bathroom. It sounds like you're still a little bit scared. But in, I mean, this was 30 years ago, maybe, maybe even more. So, the phrase may have not been around, but the concept, I guess, was, right? Have you seen, OK, you know what I'm talking about. In their wallpaper, do you ever see pictures? No, I don't think I've particularly looked though, so. Mm. Are you gonna look next time you're there? Perhaps I will. I remember your little song. Yes, just repeat to yourself. I'm not scared of you. You're only a picture. Only a picture. All right, well, this is only a picture that we're gonna look at, but it was a picture taken of real life. So let's see what you think of this one because this is the one that I was thinking of as an example where people are hotly debating whether it is a case of paraolia or if there's something else going on. OK, we'll screenshot it and share it, right? Yeah we can just put a link to the Reddit post, either or or both. All right, I'm looking, there's definitely for those not on Instagram or Reddit. It's a rock wall. With a shadow and some grass and shrubbery. I don't see anything. Maybe like an eye with like a head and a big circle nose, like a, I don't even know what animal that would be. Yeah, I feel like I'm not on the right track. And this is a similar experience when I first encountered this post, because when you look at the image from the full size, you don't really particularly see anything, but I think when your attention is called to the particular thing that is a case of paraelia or some other thing, you'll be actually quite shocked because this is even more abrupt. And the previous example. OK, what are we looking at now? All right, so draw your attention to the bottom right. Are you talking about that like trash that's in the bottom right corner? I don't know if she would appreciate you calling her track. Is it not trash? So now we'll go to the high res zoom of that particular area. Just click that right arrow. Oh, that's I don't like that. That's unsad. I don't wanna look at it. That freaks me out. OK, we'll put this on Instagram, uh, with the Reddit leak. I don't like, I saw that little blur. And it literally just looked like trash. Now I don't want to look at it cause I'm gonna have nightmares. Don't look if you're prone to nightmares like me. So do you think that's a case of I don't know. I don't like it. It does remind you of something, I guess that is unnatural. It's scary. -- So -- you think it's a person or some kind of being? I say, OK, so high resse, that was not just AI making up like AI connecting the dots to make a person. That freaky person standing there, like when Google Earth. Did uh Scan Now I believe this would be. Back in the day that The images would be resized. On the quality perspective, so perhaps a larger image would become less quality when it's uploaded. So if you have the original image, you could zoom in and create a higher res image that would then be hosted by this particular image hosting site. So I think that's perhaps what we have going on here and why the, if you zoom into the original image, it is lower quality, but if you Scroll to the next image, you have actually a higher quality image. So anyone that doesn't have Instagram. Uh, readily available. When you look, it's just like your regular photo of a wall, like a rock wall, and there's like something blurry in the corner, then you zoom in on it, and it's like this really How do you say it without being mean? It's a photo of a kid, like maybe a 13 year old, 12 year old, 13 year old girl. And she just, it looks like all those horror movies, you see like Children of the corn or anything like that, they're awkwardly standing there with very vacant eyes. They don't like it. Indeed, -- so -- I'm gonna have a nightmare tonight, I guarantee it. Oh man. So, those are some of the particular examples of where people just say this is Delia, and that that is just some sort of natural feature that looks like a person. Well, OK, is it where, like, where did that original photo come from? Cause I feel like, maybe I'm wrong, but I believe I've heard from like Google Earth, that when they, like, scan photos, if people are like, maybe in their driveway, they remove them or blur them out. Is that what they did, like this kid was with her family, and they blurred, but they didn't do a great job, and then people got the original, were able to reconstruct the FBI or whatnot, what she looked like. And it was like a family picnic on this great trail that now is giving everyone nightmares. So, we'll link the Reddit post, but I'll just read it verbatim here where it says, hey everyone, a few years ago, an older family member of mine went on one of her regular hikes. The trail she takes runs through a fairly remote area of the side of a mountain with no buildings nearby and very few people ever around. One of the places along the path is an old cave with a long history stretching all the way back to the Stone Age, Ice Age, and Viking times. I've been there myself. It's definitely an interesting area. She took some photos and later posted a few of them on Facebook, as older people tend to do. Everything seemed normal at first, but then people started commenting on one of the photos asking who she was walking with, but she insisted that she had been completely alone. She looked at the photo again and that's when she noticed it, a figure in the distance. There was no one else out there that she noticed, and she hadn't seen or heard anything unusual. She was honestly really shaken by it. She's not someone who believes in the paranormal and definitely not someone who would ever fake a photo. She has absolutely no interest in that kind of thing and to be honest, she's far too old and inexperienced with technology to know how to photoshop something like that, even if she wanted to. If you don't immediately see what I'm referring to, the second image, it's a little clearer there. I posted this on Reddit before and other subs, but never got a solid explanation. Still, the photo has stuck with me for years. I think about it now and then because it still really puzzles me. Yeah, I mean, I want to take that Redditor by his word, but it's so hard to believe him because it's so hard. They used to say like, a picture is worth 1000 words, but it's not anymore, because you can doctor anything and especially with AI change things. Uh nowadays, when I'm reading something, you always have to do a double take to see like, is this an AI dupe or is it real? That's true. And even now video has become pretty robust in terms of AI production, so it used to be text and image you had to be careful on, but now even video is getting pretty good and it's hard to tell the difference. Yeah, right, so we will post some of these relevant links in the show notes and you can check it out and let us know what you think are these cases of paraia or not. And is paraelia predictive programming, and perhaps maybe that's something we'll get into in a future episode. Yeah, well, predictive programming is. Indeed. So, from your friends at I hate talking until next time, remember, it is only through talking that we begin the journey to understanding.