Why You See Faces in Things episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 1, 2026 · 10 MIN

Why You See Faces in Things

from Be Smart. · host Joe Hanson

SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓Have you ever looked at the front of a car and seen a face? Or an electrical outlet and seen a face? You definitely have. We all see faces everywhere we look thanks to a fun quirk of the human brain called facial pareidolia. Here's the neuroscience and psychology of how this weird brain phenomenon works!References: https://sites.google.com/view/facial-pareidolia-references/home0:00 Intro1:33 What is facial pareidolia?2:26 How your brain "sees" stuff4:10 What is a "face" anyway?5:29 Are we born this way?7:08 Why recognizing faces is important, according to evolution9:09 Dog faces, and some closing thoughts10:05 Support us on Patreon!-----------High fives to all our Brain Trust Patrons:Ed EydenJennifer BurtonCharles Horton, JrHolly, Brett, and Ashe BullionJaap WesteraMehdi DamouBarbora BeiBurt Humburgdani bowmanDavid JohnstonBaerbel WinklerEric MeerKaren HaskellJoin us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmartInstagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/Merchhttps://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓Have you ever looked at the front of a car and seen a face? Or an electrical outlet and seen a face? You definitely have. We all see faces everywhere we look thanks to a fun quirk of the human brain called facial pareidolia. Here's the neuroscience and psychology of how this weird brain phenomenon works!References: https://sites.google.com/view/facial-pareidolia-references/home0:00 Intro1:33 What is facial pareidolia?2:26 How your brain "sees" stuff4:10 What is a "face" anyway?5:29 Are we born this way?7:08 Why recognizing faces is important, according to evolution9:09 Dog faces, and some closing thoughts10:05 Support us on Patreon!-----------High fives to all our Brain Trust Patrons:Ed EydenJennifer BurtonCharles Horton, JrHolly, Brett, and Ashe BullionJaap WesteraMehdi DamouBarbora BeiBurt Humburgdani bowmanDavid JohnstonBaerbel WinklerEric MeerKaren HaskellJoin us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmartInstagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/Merchhttps://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Why You See Faces in Things

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This episode is 10 minutes long.

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This episode was published on July 1, 2026.

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SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓Have you ever looked at the front of a car and seen a face? Or an electrical outlet and seen a face? You definitely have. We all see faces everywhere...

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