Do you see a face? You’re actually hallucinating - Susan G. Wardle

Dig into the phenomenon of face pareidolia, which is the tendency of our brains to see faces in everyday objects.
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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.
Lesson by Susan G. Wardle, directed by Oksana Kurmaz.
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Animator's website: kurmaz.me
Music: / aim-music
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Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Matthew Neal, Denis Chon, Julian Oberhofer, Monte Carroll, Eddy, Jay M, Constantino Victor Delgado, Andrea Galvagni, Andrew Tweddle, Laurel-Ann Rice, Fernando A. Endo, Helen Lee, pam morgan, sarim haq, Gerardo Castro, Michel-Ange Hortegat, Enes Kirimi, Amaury BISIAUX, ND, Samyogita Hardikar, Vanessa Graulich, Vandana Gunwani, Abdulmohsin Almadi, AJ Lyon, Geoffrey Bultitude, Mi Mi, Thomas Rothert, Brian Elieson, Oge O, Weronika Falkowska, Nevin Spoljaric, Sid Chanpuriya, Anoop Varghese, David Yastremski, Noah Webb, Roberto Chena, Oliver Koo, Luke Pisano, Andrea Gordon, Aleksandar Donev, Nicole Klau Ibarra, Jesse Lira, Ezekiel Raui, Petr Vacek, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Kari Teffeau, Cindy Lai, Rajath Durgada Manjunath and Dan Nguyen.

[@dragonzone1516]

This went from seeing faces to seeing Among Us everywhere

[@arcaderdude]

Nonononono waitwaitwait

[@mrhaci7747]

GETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEAD

[@eeaaf]

They truly are among us

[@omusubibi]

evolution

[@t3li5]

​@@omusubibi I thought evolution was supposed to be better

[@unruly_rogue]

TED-Ed once again answering questions i didn't know i had.

[@Quasar900]

YOU NEVER HEARD PAREIDOLIA ?? The Problem, is many wait until INTERNET tell them the answer ! Learn to inquire, to ask Professors, Parents, Relatives, Friends , There are 335 Million person in USA ! But Most of them are INDIVIDUALIST (FREEDOM FROM 18 th Century thus Fire arm every where , saaaaaaad , Learn from UK, Arabs Where FAMILY is the KERNEL)

[@natgeox]

🤣😂🤣

[@Quasar900]

@@natgeox I must be the One Who laughs (of Sadness) ! Because , now we do witness people using Internet as an Exclusive source of Information !

[@natgeox]

@@Quasar900 yes, I'd like to go back to before technology. Be less reachable and have conversations in the moment face to face🥲

[@Quasar900]

@@natgeox Well, I do not blame Tech itself, but the aspect and how users (including TECH MAGNATES ) oriented it ! Haven't you seen lately that in a lot of houses their resident have no book library ? only tablets ! May GOD THE MERCIFUL save us from all harms , AMEN ! Ah, Madame, thank you , Finally a highly educated person like you agreed with me (I haven't receive notification of your reply , to write this earlier ) ! Here, Madame, an example of a Friendly Tech , Would you accept it as a symbolic present ! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGe4g5RjhbmknKM

[@eomguel9017]

Although this seems to be common for most people, and maybe even other primates, I seem to have been very sensitive to this phenomenon from a very young age. My mum tells me how as a child, I would sometimes describe to her faces in objects that she struggled to see. To this day, some of my choices are influenced by facial pareidolia, for example, when I got my first car, I made sure I chose a happy car over an angry one. 🤣🤣🤣

[@oliviadavis3638]

but happy cars are just so cute! I see faces in them too, usually with headlights as eyes and that one long part as the mouth. Most cars look angry but some look happy and those are the best 😊😊

[@natgeox]

🤣Same, I see faces everywhere

[@Quasar900]

An Angry Car , like ''CHRISTINE'' ? AAAAHHH, that FILM ! Mr. Bean Did Recreate The Same Scene with his ''Austin mini'' , When Lights suddenly ''POPPED OUT'' in the dark ! How is Britain, Sir ? (I think you're UK because you used ''Mum'' instead of ''Mom'') !

[@laukinath194]

This is one reason I didn't like the film CARS; they didn't animate the cars right! Who would ever see a cars face like that? No, it's in the headlights and grill!

[@joanhoffman3702]

Always choose the happy car! 😂😂😂

[@nerd26373]

I've experienced this, and I know for sure it's not weird, but something that's normal to experience. Our brain is far more complex than any one of us could make assumptions about it.

[@mizanimowatt1578]

Same

[@sup8429]

says the brain

[@VenilIa_]

Were too smart for our own good

[@AA-le3xe]

The human brain loves making assumptions - weren't you paying attention to the video?

[@emryswalton1802]

I have prosopagnosia (face blindness) but this function is even intact with me!

[@Quasar900]

Who prepares and do the voice off in these TEd-Ed : Doctors, Experts ; or just Random KZbinrs ! , ? What Credebility do have Ted-Ed Videos ? Do Experts Validate '' THESE TEd TEDDY'' ? I never knew this "TED TEDDY " CONCEPT !

[@johndewittwalsh7765]

Let’s be honest - the first thing we saw in the thumbnail was not a face.

[@JWQweqOPDH]

dong

[@kingeboyd]

There was a face in the Thumbnail?

[@diarrheacheese]

oh.

[@NumbToons]

According to VSauce, babies inside the womb can recognise "face like" things. A baby in womb responds to 3 triangular dots (lights), when they are in face like orientation.

[@avivastudios2311]

So it's genetic. 🤔

[@Rachel-fi4sc]

I actually attended a talk by the researcher who first did this study! It was fascinating. The prior belief was that the womb was totally dark and needed to be so for the foetus to develop correctly. It took a whole bunch of simulations and tests for the ethics board to even agree to the study in the first place. And the infants truly did respond to faces. The response was different when the three dots were oriented "upside down" to the foetus's perception.

[@Quasar900]

@@Rachel-fi4sc Who prepares and do the voice off in these TEd-Ed : Doctors, Experts ; or just Random KZbinrs ! , ? What Credibility do have Ted-Ed Videos ? Do Experts Validate '' THESE TEd TEDDY'' ? I never knew this "TED TEDDY " CONCEPT !

[@Rachel-fi4sc]

@@Quasar900 I'm not really sure what you're saying, I'm afraid.

[@Quasar900]

@@Rachel-fi4sc I'm talking about "who does prepare these episodes of Ted ", are Experts or just KZbinrs ?

[@aldhieu.a.teodocio8796]

I know I am not alone. I always see faces when I'm looking at our ceiling lolz. This video is what I needed!

[@Quasar900]

Talk to GOD !

[@diggydog95ify]

Possible reason for the quick recognition of a face, could be from when our ancestors were hunted or attacked by animals. Therefore, it may be advantageous, to detect dangerous faces to trigger our fight or flight faster than everyday intimate objects.

[@rizizum]

That's why I stare at drivers that are coming towards me, gotta make sure they have an extra 150ms to dodge me

[@HeroBear64]

@@rizizum a true man of honour

[@thompkins6796]

We're really good at identifying snakes specifically. I walked by a dead snake a few days ago on the side of the road, and I was amazed how fast I noticed it and how my eyes immediately looked for the head and shifted my stance, all automatically.

[@anameyoucantremember]

@@thompkins6796 5.4 million snake bites a year say otherwise. Apart from dogs and cats, snake bites are by far the most common. We're extremely bad at identifying snakes.

[@thompkins6796]

@@anameyoucantremember it's called snake detection theory. The very basic visual recognition patterns ingrained in us from earlier in the evolutionary tree needed to identify snake vs not snake due to the danger of a bite, and we still have that reflex. Also, people see snakes when there are none, which is very similar to the effect in the video.

[@windy8395]

2:00 why does she look like she’s both running always from us and running toward us

[@NOOBCRASTINATOR69]

Bruh..🌚

[@WordsWithHats]

The shapes on the floor sometimes felt intentional. The floors and the trees don't make faces on their own so I don't worry.

[@sairamsk3206]

People are always miss judged by looks but the values of discernment emphasize body language over discrimination. A kind and caring smile will move people's hearts with the first impression.

[@xanderwallace6511]

This art made me feel physically ill.

[@vginsprdsobepr9698]

I once met a photographer who had a hobby of taking pictures of eerie faces in trees. He showed me how to look for these things.

[@clarissefernandez4855]

How?

[@Alesiloo]

″Are you able to see faces in everyday objects?″ *The thumbnail* Me: Maybe not just faces exactly...

[@Biscuity_hole]

The Amazing World of Gumball is a great example for this, the objects somehow always have faces. Some inanimate objects are sentient, hence the confusion if it's a character or not

[@pandavisionfn]

0:19 that doesn't look like a faucet... If you know you know lol

[@muhammadabdullahwaseem3040]

i saw something completely different in the thumbnail. why is my mind like this

[@unknownking2708]

What

[@shiv_-_-_-_-_-]

I also see several faces in my backyard wall ...... almost seen a animated series within my lifetime watching it

[@Yaveen]

That thumbnail looked like something else-

[@mattkim96]

I *cannot* be the only one that saw phallic imagery before facial in that thumbnail.

[@buddysdunks]

ur not

[@unknownking2708]

Thank you, today I learned about a new term ' phallic imagery' because of you. 😃

[@mattkim96]

@@unknownking2708 no problem lol. Also pretty sure the thumbnail has been changed since I wrote that comment 9 months ago, I distinctly remember it being an image of a faucet, not electrical outlets. I guess Ted agreed it was too phallic before and changed it.

[@micahbush5397]

I've never had much trouble with seeing faces, but I have Aspergers Syndrome (an autistic spectrum disorder), and I can't help but wonder whether the two are correlated. It would make sense, after all, if a side effect of having trouble reading faces is being less likely to perceive faces in everyday objects.

[@micahbush5397]

@@Quasar900 Did you try reading the description? Or did you try Googling Susan G. Wardle to see her credentials (namely, that she's a PhD neuroscientist with the NIH)?

[@soyboydj6875]

@@micahbush5397just a bot ignore it

[@bobthegoat7090]

Asperger's doesn't exist anymore. Now it is just Autism. You are just on the lower part of the Autism spectrum.

[@KnowledgeSpree]

Human brain = a whole new Universe... Fascinating!

[@JibHyourinmaru]

that thumbnail tho. lmao

[@lindascanlan6317]

I see faces in lots of things that aren't faces...it's fun!

[@ronrozen2105]

Great commentary and animation, fantastic work!

[@mr.johnson3844]

Every face in this video is not actually a face, but we recognized every single one of them as such.

[@byronic-heroine]

Interesting way you drew that faucet

[@boy638]

Just like the primate example, I suspect many others from the animal kingdom can detect "faces", which would explain why some animals like like certain insects have exterior features that resembles a predator.

[@danya22__]

your animation is so amazing and i did not watch something like that before

[@rainsparks29]

just started my a level art sustained project on this very subject. it's fascinating

[@sairamsk3206]

It's really simple that we social animals are best at imaging with just words and personifying inanimate objects. Staring at something for a long time can start the process of personification.

[@claraeast9069]

I’m someone who grew up on “survival mode” i was always hyper aware hyper sensitive with people and my surroundings probably due to fight or flight response so i see a lot of faces even in the dark i used to be scared but as i grew older i learned to brush it off

[@niesson9456]

Can't relate... I hate showers coz the shower head and the drainage holes looked like faces or mouths... like leeches...

[@felecia8603]

I would argue that is could be the case in other classes of animals. Such as some insects having a “face face” in order to confuse predators.

[@sohamdate]

that was NOT a face that I saw in the thumbnail

[@donthatemebcimbeautiful]

ive had this question so many times because there were so many nights were i couldnt sleep because my blanket had an angry face

[@medusagorgon8432]

It's vehicles for me. Whenever I sit at a light or drive on the highway with one or several cars in front of me I notice their faces. Some are smiling while others seem grumpy or bored.😅

[@sencomenco]

I now realize this same phenomenon caused me to see the band Faces years ago on stage. I didn't know I had pareidolia at that time but it all makes sense now.

[@lowcells--]

This the most good video to me to studies! Thanks teb ed

[@phunkymind23]

Ever since I joined a group, I've become obsessed with faces in things. I feel like they comfort me.

[@vic2pal]

Thank you ted-ed, I'm seeing more faces in everything now

[@benjamint1307]

Ted Ed do be answering every aspect of my life

[@skmuskantabasum4158]

Was Helpful. Thanks

[@Troy-ol5fk]

When I stare at the Terrazzo tiles in my classroom long enough I start to see faces and animals in the pattern

[@jasoneffiwatt9517]

Finally someone talked about it, I was beginning to think I was the only one and maybe a little bit crazy 😅

[@poohtaro_desu]

Love this animations!!!!!🫶

[@Quasar900]

JAPANESE FREAK !

[@artemis7496]

Gorgeous animation😍

[@princesslupi4136]

The Picasso effect? One of the drawings was so similar to his style. Thank you, Ted-Ed, for this explanation.

[@BoyProdigyX]

What fun animation! Very cute.

[@tamizhverse]

Yesterday night I was thinking about this and today this video came in my feed😂

[@elianesantoscabral3271]

Excellent

[@neilaspin008]

I was sensitive to stuff like this as a kid. It's just started happening again at 50. It terrified me at first.

[@pootisbirb6821]

In the thumbnail I didn't see a face or a sink. I immediately thought: "That's a smol pp"

[@MoonKent]

As someone who struggles with mild face blindness (difficulty in recognizing a familiar face), I admit that I don't usually see faces in most things (unless it has been pointed out to me and I work to see it or I've trained my brain to recognize that something counts - like text emojis). So, I'm guessing that these phenomena are connected!

[@markjasonasingua8227]

Yeah. I thought i was weird. Now I know someone understands like me. But actually it helps me to become more creative and I am way more advanced in art during in my school years with my peers.

[@fireaza]

My favourites are car grills. There's such a variety of expressions, from a goofy vacant stare, to rage, to existential dread.

[@rainikuya3766]

I'm glad I'm not the only one

[@jj_hoon]

Sure, i get it. It's normal. I once experienced this but except, everything had faces, the walls that i was facing to or the ground. I just had to completely close my eyes or forget about it so it can go away.

[@sairamsk3206]

Brain's personification of faces is alike the imagery of words. Who knows? A dolphin is just alike a social human but in there own language of speech and judging others of there species.

[@tripathi26]

OMG, Is KZbin monitoring me and my whereabouts? Just today evening while lying on bed, i noticed a face on the shrinked corner of blanket, and I was wondering the same that my mind reads non existent faces - kind of a nervous unsettling realisation for me. :/ And here KZbin recommends me this video.😮

[@ioannis2201]

This animation is nice but very exhausting. It's very unsettling. I find the topic very exciting

[@GeorgeEe]

I don't see a face from that sink... I saw something else instead, that water tap looks oddly familiar 😅

[@hennnerz]

Or why do our brains have seizures? Any chance doing a video on epilepsy?

[@rhondahuggins9542]

I have quite serious paridolia (sp?) issue...not on a medical one, but one that drives my family to frequent eye rolls and head-shaking. I take lots of pics.😉

[@Quasar900]

Who prepares and do the voice off in these TEd-Ed : Doctors, Experts ; or just Random KZbinrs ! , ? What Credibility do have Ted-Ed Videos ? Do Experts Validate '' THESE TEd TEDDY'' ? I never knew this "TED TEDDY " CONCEPT !

[@No__direction__]

I get a lot of hallucinations but I rarely experience this specifically. I’d gladly switch those around if it was possible to do so…

[@julianalexanderfranco1483]

& hence why seeing subliminal art is so stimulating 🤩

[@miket591]

Be honest! What you saw in the thumbnail of this video wasn't a face.

[@_aidid]

Lately my neighbour talked about seeing a bird at night momentarily. That reminded me of this phenomenon even though I could not remember its name

[@mollyhoffman7313]

I NEVER see illusory faces. Somebody please help me! I am literally in tears right now.

[@dolphin550]

One form of pareidolia that I am really fond of is lunar pareidolia as there are several images on can see by looking at the moon whether a person carrying logs, a hare, or a face.

[@ronmontoya3673]

Faces of realization according to scientific and psychological methods or research 👍

[@darkvoices12]

Watching this felt like an acid trip

[@tonyzang2344]

That thumbnail art was intentional

[@muriloporfirio7853]

2:13 I wanted such "serious issues"...

[@levelupwitharjun]

This is making my brain 🧠 go crazy

[@magdadiaz3778]

my family always makes fun of me as i never "grew out" of seeing faces EVERYWHERE, although i also see objects in random things (ie bag looks like an elephant). well guess who wasn't weird mum!!!! 😭

[@RichardHannay]

Lol! Who knew this is so widespread... I thought I was the only one

[@CommissarChaotic]

I guess I just go into intense paranoia mode sometimes

[@teumefixon6193]

I'm experiencing this

[@taktsing4969]

nice

[@kommok6786]

NICE

[@ethanomcbride]

I saw something in the thumbnail but it was NOT a face 🍆

[@Alissa_21]

I have this window in my house lol i keep seeing a smile from it, i used to get scared looking at it but im used to it now

[@whybhavi]

So this is what i have, i thought maybe i had the eyes pf a TALENTED ARTIST 😅😂😂. I not only see faces, but the whole person or people, in things like floor, wall or stones etc.... 😅

[@shexec32]

Thanks to research in machine learning, we now know that pareidolia is a phenomenon that emerges in all visual neural networks that work on hebbian learning. Examples include image recognition AIs and the human brain.

[@Afaloz]

So my art is all hallucinations…this is…interesting. This is art ❤

[@UnpossiblePOG]

Well, I don't often see face, I rather see form of shape like horse, house, just like seeing shapes in cloud.

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

Sometimes, I just couldn't help seeing various faces in many things.

[@jojoska77]

Yea i always see face on different object since i was a kid. Sometimes it makes me scared

[@tararao6633]

i did not know that

[@aiyase]

our bathroom wall is marble tiles and seeing faces on the patterns makes me uncomfortable when I'm taking the loo

[@alexys72904]

Yeah, based on this criteria (pre 2020) everyone was psychotic. It’s normal to see faces everywhere- as long as it is being processed via tangible object. A hallucination is when we see something that is very literally not there.

[@giggs-chan2004]

WOW. I ACTUALLY DO SOMETIMES.

[@sdjd2570]

I thought that sink was something else...

[@ScrappyPower]

All of these objects were taken from the most upvoted posts on the pareidolia subreddit. I recognised all of them immediately. Go take a look if you don't believe me.

[@OmegaWolf747]

So would this explain most "ghost in the window" photos?

[@Racoonma392]

The thumbnail was my face when I read the title

[@bullymaguire1534]

Finally I have the reason for this...

[@its_dey_mate]

There's a saying. The brain is too complicated for it to understand itself, but if it were any simpler it would not have the capability to see how it works from the getgo.

[@zestynathanielbcousin9015]

The faucet looks like my tip

[@InternetStranger476]

I figured that it was for seeing predators in the wild