I have a bad feeling about my stairs.
But it’s not that I’m afraid of tripping on that worn-out carpet.
It’s pareidolia – the ability to detect faces (and various other significant shapes) in random arrangements of inanimate objects.
We all have this ability.
Research with young babies has shown that they’re more interested in face-like arrangements – shapes with two ‘eyes’ and a ‘mouth’ – than other random patterns.
In our evolutionary past, this ability was an advantage. Seeing something and judging in a split second that it ‘looked like a face’ could enable our ancestors to take action in time to avoid a predator.
And if it turned out not to be a predator, well, hey, it didn’t matter. There was no evolutionary disadvantage, apart from a few sniggering stegosauruses thinking you’re a complete wally.
Continue reading “Pareidolia: why it’s never safe to go upstairs”