• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

Finding / seeing faces in things?

IAmParadiseSeekerJW

IAmParadiseSeekerJW

Well-Known Member
I've had a thing since being very young where I notice faces in objects such as tiling on walls, the whirls in a wood door, carpets, clothes hanging on airers etc etc...

It used to scare me when I was younger, some of the faces were quite sinister.

Am I just being weird or does anyone do anything similar?
 
This comes up a lot in paranormal investigation. But there's nothing paranormal about it. Pareidolia/matrixing is just a very common psychological phenomena, spanning both the neurologies of NTs and Aspies.

Just another hint at how "ethnocentric" our species can be...where we perceive human forms so easily in random patterns or textures.
 
Thanks for posting that link King_Oni, it's appreciated :)
And I didn't know that Nitro & Judge...

I used to mention it to family members when I was younger and they thought I was a bit crazy or making things up because I'd find faces (typically sinister ones) in objects - they never saw them so I suppose I can understand why they'd think I was nuts...
 
IAmParadiseSeekerJW said:
Thanks for posting that link King_Oni, it's appreciated :)
And I didn't know that Nitro & Judge...

I used to mention it to family members when I was younger and they thought I was a bit crazy or making things up because I'd find faces (typically sinister ones) in objects - they never saw them so I suppose I can understand why they'd think I was nuts...
Click to expand...

I've done that since I was a small child. And yes, I also have a talent for discerning patterns in what might otherwise be random data to others. However pareidolia is in a distinctly separate category.

But even all these years later, it STILL amuses me each time I encounter it. ;)
 
I too find that I see faces in every-day objects' random patterns like rugs, tiles, wall textures and such. Finding without trying to find patterns is also my 'thing' as well as anomalies. Driving up the highway at 68 mph and I still see the group of wild turkeys over to my right in the forest, which makes whoever is riding with me rather uncomfortable. ha
 
I was just thinking about this yesterday. Sometimes it's not a big deal, but every now and then, like yesterday, I can't NOT see faces in random splotches or whatever. It's a little creepy when that happens because like you said, many of the faces are intimidating in some way, even repulsive.
 
Cripes...now I have another term to get used to :confused:


Mine never creeped me out, like Judge posted... it is amusing :D
 
Last edited:
Yes, but not just faces.
We had this Lino on the floor as a kid with 'random' splotches that I could study for hours. Amazing what could be found.
 
zurb said:
Yes, but not just faces.
We had this Lino on the floor as a kid with 'random' splotches that I could study for hours. Amazing what could be found.
Click to expand...
that would require proper lighting to see them zurb...keep in mind how many steps it took last time we dealt with a lightbulb :p
 
Pareidolia can be manifested as a part of obsessive compulsive disorder according to a quick look at the wiki...
I always have the cleanest cars on the road and often wash mine during a snow session to keep it clean...That may be a sign of OCD :p
 
Nitro said:
Pareidolia can be manifested as a part of obsessive compulsive disorder according to a quick look at the wiki...
I always have the cleanest cars on the road and often wash mine during a snow session to keep it clean...That may be a sign of OCD :p
Click to expand...

Mine's had it's wash today... I start to feel guilty if I leave it too long!
 
I don't seem to see faces in things all that often but whenever I do it really bugs me - an example of a strange thing I see faces in is this metal tread plate pattern:

diamond_tread_plate.jpg


I find it hard to look at and not see a recurring pattern of diagonal faces, they can be leaning to the left or the right, and the "mouth" of one "face" forms one of the "eyes" of another and the line between the two "eyes" that is at a 90 degree angle forms the "nose". I seem to remember being a little bit freaked out by it as a kid.
 
Axeman52 said:
I don't seem to see faces in things all that often but whenever I do it really bugs me - an example of a strange thing I see faces in is this metal tread plate pattern:

diamond_tread_plate.jpg


I find it hard to look at and not see a recurring pattern of diagonal faces, they can be leaning to the left or the right, and the "mouth" of one "face" forms one of the "eyes" of another and the line between the two "eyes" that is at a 90 degree angle forms the "nose". I seem to remember being a little bit freaked out by it as a kid.
Click to expand...
I make tons of custom vehicle parts with diamond tread ;)
I love the stuff :D
 
Faces and patterns, I see them everywhere. I have done this for as long as I can remember. I would have to say that I'm surprised that it is common as it is.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Top Bottom