Apophenia ========= "Apophany" redirects here. For the concept in linguistics, see Apophony . **Apophenia** (/æpoʊˈfiːniə/ ) is the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things.[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-skepdic-2)  Cropped version of the original batch-processed image (#035A72) of the "Face on Mars"[\[1\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-pia01141-1) The term (German : _Apophänie_ from the Greek verb: ἀποφαίνειν, romanized : _apophaínein_) was coined by psychiatrist Klaus Conrad in his 1958 publication on the beginning stages of schizophrenia .[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-Klaus-3) He defined it as "unmotivated seeing of connections \[accompanied by] a specific feeling of abnormal meaningfulness".[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-Mishara-4) [\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-dbskeptic-5) He described the early stages of delusional thought as self-referential over-interpretations of actual sensory perceptions, as opposed to hallucinations .[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-skepdic-2) [\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-6) Apophenia has also come to describe a human propensity to unreasonably seek definite patterns in random information, such as can occur in gambling .[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-dbskeptic-5) Introduction ------------ edit Apophenia can be considered a commonplace effect of brain function. Taken to an extreme, however, it can be a symptom of psychiatric dysfunction, for example, as a symptom in paranoid schizophrenia ,[\[7\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-7) where a patient sees hostile patterns (for example, a conspiracy to persecute them) in ordinary actions. Apophenia is also typical of conspiracy theories , where coincidences may be woven together into an apparent plot.[\[8\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-8) Examples -------- edit ### Pareidolia edit Main article: Pareidolia  "The Organ Player": an example of pareidolia in Neptune's Grotto , Sardinia 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 ".[\[9\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-faces-9) People sometimes see the face of a religious figure in a piece of toast "Toast (food)") or in the grain of a piece of wood. There is strong evidence that psychedelic drugs tend to induce or enhance pareidolia.[\[10\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-10) 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. ### Gambling edit Gamblers may imagine that they see patterns in the numbers that appear in lotteries , card games , or roulette wheels , where no such patterns exist.[\[11\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-11) A common example of this is the gambler's fallacy .[\[12\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-Slate_article-12) ### Statistics edit In statistics, apophenia is an example of a type I error – the false identification of patterns in data.[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-skepdic-2) It may be compared to a so-called _false positive_ in other test situations. Related terms ------------- edit In contrast to an epiphany "Epiphany (feeling)") , an apophany (i.e., an instance of apophenia) does not provide insight into the nature of reality nor its interconnectedness, but is a "process of repetitively and monotonously experiencing abnormal meanings in the entire surrounding experiential field". Such meanings are entirely self-referential, solipsistic , and paranoid—"being observed, spoken about, the object of eavesdropping, followed by strangers".[\[13\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-13) ### Synchronicity edit Main article: Synchronicity Synchronicity can be considered synonymous with correlation, without any statement about the veracity of various causal inferences. ### Patternicity edit In 2008, Michael Shermer coined the word _patternicity_, defining it as "the tendency to find meaningful patterns in meaningless noise".[\[14\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-14) [\[15\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-15) ### Clustering illusion edit A clustering illusion is a type of cognitive bias in which a person sees a pattern in a random sequence of numbers or events. Many theories have been disproved as a result of this bias being highlighted.[\[16\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-Brogaard_article-16) One case, during the early 2000s, involved the occurrence of breast cancer among employees of ABC Studios in Queensland . A study found that the incidence of breast cancer at the studios was six times the rate in the rest of Queensland. An examination found no correlation between the heightened incidence and any factors related to the site, or any genetic or lifestyle factors of the employees.[\[17\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-17) Causes ------ edit Although there is no confirmed reason as to why apophenia occurs, there are some respected theories. ### Evolution edit One of the explanations put forth by evolutionary psychologists for apophenia is that it is not a flaw in the cognition of human brains but rather something that has come about through years of need. The study of this topic is referred to as error management theory .[\[20\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-20) One of the most accredited studies in this field is Skinner's box . This experiment involved taking a hungry pigeon, placing it in a box and releasing food pellets at random times. The pigeon received a food pellet while performing some action; and so, rather than attributing the arrival of the pellet to randomness, the pigeon repeats that action, and continues to do so until another pellet falls. As the pigeon increases the number of times it performs the action, it gains the impression that it also increased the times it was "rewarded" with a pellet, although the release in fact remained entirely random.[\[21\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia?utm_source=chatgpt.com#cite_note-21)