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50 Interesting Things That Made People Do A Double Take To Realize What They Really Were (New Pics)
Interview With Expert
When you look up at the sky full of fluffy clouds, what do you see? An elephant holding a balloon? Or perhaps a dragon spewing fire? This is nothing strange, as our brains are programmed to recognize familiar patterns and shapes in what we see. The phenomenon, called pareidolia, helps us make sense of the world and avoid danger.
Bored Panda gathered many more similar examples where people saw things as other things, assigning meaning when there might not be one. Scroll down to find them, and be sure to upvote the ones that mess with your eyes and brains the most!
While you're at it, don't forget to check out a conversation with associate professor from UQ’s School of Psychology, Dr. Jessica Taubert, who kindly agreed to tell us more about the phenomenon of pareidolia.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I Visited Vulcan, Alberta And All Their Streetlights Are Shaped Like The Starship Enterprise
RELATED:
#2
My Cat Looks Like A Lemur
#3
This Gekko In Madagascar That Looks Like A Wilted Leaf
#4
Found A Really Cool Stick Looks Like A Good Wizard Staff
#5
Found A Caterpillar That Looks Like A Leaf
#6
This Flower Looks Like Icing
martymcmatrix 1 year ago
This forbidden food looks more like whipped cream from a spray can, doesn't it?
#7
This Buff-Tip Moth Disguised As Birch Wood
kzys59pcrp 1 year ago
Imagine being able to disguise your self like this to get out of awkward situations
#8
I Found A Rock On A Beach That Looks Like A Beach On A Rock
#9
Icicles On This Cat Statue Look Like Fur
#10
This Mushroom That Looks Like A Glove Punching Through My Planter
#11
The Dog I'm Sitting Looks Like Scooby Doo
#12
My Hair Looks Like It’s Been Caught In A Zipper/ Fits In Between Gears
#13
Our Homegrown Pepper Looks Almost Exactly Like A Boot
#14
This Leaf Has Flower Tattoos
#15
A Seastar Growing Back 4 Arms Looks Like A Shooting Star
#16
My Dogs Eye Is Star Shaped
#17
Found A Stick That Looks Like A Wizard Staff
#18
Match I Burned Turned Into A Microphone With A Stand
#19
This Butterfly Looks Like A Leaf
#20
This Pine Wood Has An Arrow Pointing To What Was The Center Of The Tree
#21
I Have The Shape And Texture Of A Feather At The Bottom Of My Iris
#22
Southern Los Angeles Looks Like A Computer Motherboard
#23
This Spider That Looks Like A Ritz
#24
This Whole Bag Of Chocolate Chips Looks Like Tiny Sherlock Pipes
#25
I Thought The Roots Of This Dead Orchid Look Kind Of Like A Facehugger
#26
I Spilled Diet Coke Under My Desk At Work And The Bubbles Formed A Lowercase E
#27
Found These Rusty Pliers In The Yard, Looks Like Wood
Disgruntled Panda 1 year ago
Ok my first thought before reading was "ooh cool, that branch really looks like a pair of pliers" 🙈
#28
Refilled Soap Dispenser Resulted In Overnight Fungi Shape
#29
Accidentally Made My Eggs Like This, Looks Like A Tree With Oranges
#30
Nice Leaf
#31
This Portal Crane, That Looks Like An At-At
Powerful Katrinka 1 year ago (edited)
George Lucas got the idea for the design of the At-ats from the cargo cranes at the Port of Oakland in California.
#32
My Son Took A Picture Of A Cloud That Looks Like A Fighter Jet
#33
A Hot Pepper Shaped Like Fire
#34
This Carrot Looks Like Those S Designs We All Used To Draw In Middle School
#35
Moisturizer Came Out Looking Like A Tiny Leaf
Sara Frazer 1 year ago
I've discovered that sometimes if I try I can make my lotion come out looking like mushrooms! Or if I botch it it looks kinda phallic....
#36
My Pancake Looked Like A Brain
#37
This Rotten Melon Looks Like A Colorblindness Test
#38
This Red Pepper At The Grocery Store Looks Like It Had Stitches In Two Places
Lee Gilliland 1 year ago
It's kn It's known as Zippering or stitching and it is caused by flower fusing to the pericarp (the center of the flower) during fruit development, leading to a zipper-pattern lesion
#39
This Tree That Looks Like A Whisk
#40
Picture I Took Of The St. Louis Arch Looks Like A Futuristic Space Station
Michael None 1 year ago
As a native St. Louisan every time I stand below the arch and look up I'm still amazed by it's engineering.
#41
My Mayo Looks Like The Sorting Hat From Harry Potter
#42
The Frost I Scraped Off My Car Looks Like Fabric
#43
This Tiny Freckle On My Hand Looks Like An Asterisk *
#44
I Found Something At The Beach That Looks Like A Real Life Topographical Map
GlassHalfWay 1 year ago
That's driftwood. I have many of different shapes and sizes similar to this.
#45
There’s A Bubble Under My Glass That Looks Like A Pool Of Mercury
#46
This Plant Looks Like A Giant Asparagus
#47
Heart Shaped Bubble Formed In A Bottle Of High-Viscosity Liquid
#48
Time To Stop Drinking
#49
Bruise On Back Of My Leg Looks Like The Monster Logo
#50
The Shadows/Light Under My Door Looks Like A City Skyline
#51
My Fried Egg Looks Like A Yin Yang Symbol
Sarah Bailey 1 year ago
A very rare specimen from the deepest parts of the sea may I introduce the yinyang fish. Very tasty!
#52
Forgotten Contact Lenses Dried Up And A Snowflake-Like Shape Developed On Them
#54
Made A Pancake That Randomly Looks Like An Apple
#55
I Saw These Clouds Today That Look Like A World Map
#56
This Cloud That Looks Like A Nuke Had Been Detonated
#58
The Water In This Bottle Froze In The Shape Of A Christmas Tree
#59
The Chocolate On The Whisk Looks Like Jimmy Nuetron’s Hair
#60
A Piece Of Hair I Plucked From My Cheek That Looks Like A Spring
#61
The Blanket I Was Washing Came Out Of The Machine Looking Like A Muffin
#62
The Water Mark Left By My Sister’s Drink Is Shaped Like The Aries Sign
#63
This Bread I Made Looks Like A Planet In Space
#64
My Coffee Sediment Looks Like A Bob Ross Painting Of Some Happy Trees
#65
This Ice Formation
#67
My Ice Cream Lid Looks Like The Earth Kinda
#68
This Garlic Looks And Feels Like Gummi
#69
This Stick Looks Like It Has Muscles Inside Of It
#70
The Ice On My Car Last Morning Looks Like Fur
m6nbtfpx7q 1 year ago
I am not insulting in any way, but for some reason “last morning” sounds so odd to me, I’ve never heard it like that. It makes sense, we say last night.
#71
My Pancake Looks Like A Sunflower
Dusty's mom 1 year ago
If only you could replicate that you could sell the info to restaurants.
#72
Rain Cloud Looks Like Floating Waterfall
malleymac84_1 1 year ago
Well, if you think about it, a rain cloud kinda is a floating waterfall.
#73
My Son’s Pupil Looks Like Pac Man
dk4sqjzdyp 1 year ago
Have that checked out immediately by an ophthalmologist , could be a sign of inflammation; juvenile uveitis
#74
Coffee Cup Lakeside Forest
#75
When I Squeeze My Partner’s Mouth Together It Looks Like He Has Two Identical Sets Of Lips Together Side By Side
#77
This Worn Out Train Door Looks Like Mountains
#78
This Bird Feeder Looks Like The Birds Are Carving A Fine Art Statue
#79
Sprinkler Made The Dirt Look Like Feathers On The Sidewalk
#80
Hammer Shaped Stick .... Hell Yeah !
#81
These Hashrounds Look Like Tetris Blocks
#82
Some Of My Ice Cubes Look Like Little Mushrooms
#85
Broken Plastic That Looks Perfectly Like A Knife
Found on floor under broken shelf display at Walmart. Friend I walked up to legit thought I pulled a knife on him.
#87
My Kangaroo Steak Is Shaped Like Australia
#88
There Was A Little Heart In The Bottom Of My Coffee Mug After I Finished Drinking A Cup At Work
#89
My Rulers Hole Is Shaped Like Australia
#90
1 Month Old Pumpkin Soup Grew This. What Is It Called? Looks Like A Map Of Dune LOL. Pretty Cool Though
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Jenna Kay 1 year ago
I often wonder how I would do on one of those ink blot tests. As a kid I loved watching the clouds and talking with my mom about what they looked like. I was always seeing things in objects. As an adult, you sound a bit crazy when you say things like - hey, this floor tile pattern looks like a rhino chasing a bee.
person (i think) 1 year ago (edited)
Have you guys stopped getting the little notifications [on the top right side of the page] when people reply to your comments? (Edit: clarity)
Jenna Kay 1 year ago
I often wonder how I would do on one of those ink blot tests. As a kid I loved watching the clouds and talking with my mom about what they looked like. I was always seeing things in objects. As an adult, you sound a bit crazy when you say things like - hey, this floor tile pattern looks like a rhino chasing a bee.
person (i think) 1 year ago (edited)
Have you guys stopped getting the little notifications [on the top right side of the page] when people reply to your comments? (Edit: clarity)
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