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

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TEDEd Animation

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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.

What kind of things can you tell about a person from their face? Do you think illusory faces share all of these features, or are there some aspects that are unique to human faces?

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About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Susan G. Wardle
  • Director Oksana Kurmaz
  • Narrator Alexandra Panzer
  • Sound Designer André Aires
  • Composer André Aires
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Produced by Abdallah Ewis, Anna Bechtol
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler

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