Do You See A Face In This Picture?

Some people amble about the world seeing things as they really are: A tree is a tree, a house is a house, a taxi is a taxi, a cigar is a cigar, and so on. But for the rest of us, the world is a matrix of hidden messages and symbols. A lot if us see images overlaid on top of inanimate objects that other people might just not notice — and those of us who do might see faces on inanimate objects where others do not. There's a name for this face-seeing phenomenon: It's called pareidolia, and apparently, people who have it are much more likely to be neurotic than those who do not. Because of course we are.

Researchers at the NNT Communications Science Laboratory in Tokyo, Japan, found that neurotic personality types are much more likely to see faces than non-neurotics. They ascertained this by first giving subjects personality tests, and then showing those volunteers sheets of papers covered in random dots and asking whether or not they saw shapes in them. The people who tended towards neuroticism in terms of personality also tended to see faces in the dots with greater frequency. Weird, huh?

If you don't know what I mean by "seeing faces in inanimate objects," this whole thing might sound like pure applesauce to you. To help clarify, I've collected a series of images from the Twitter account @FacePics in which neurotic among us will see faces, and the rest will just be like, "Yo, why am I looking at a picture of a pansie?" (Spoiler alert: I'm neurotic. I see faces in all of these — especially pansies).

So, here's your quiz: Face or No Face?

1. House or Upset Face?

Most definitely upset face.

2. Handbag or Smiling Old Lady?

Smiling old lady for sure.

3. Onion or Angry Bird?

Come on, this one isn't even debatable.

4. Hat or Meh Face?

That face is the most disinterested in your nonsense.

5. Helmet or Super Excited Guy?

That guy is ready for an adventure.

6. Pillow or Face?

The age-old question (except clearly, face).

7. Bread Holes or Sad Face?

Saddest bread in the history of all bread.

8. Coffee Lids or Laughing Monkeys?

I don't even see the coffee lids.

9. Blender or Robot Monster?

How I wish I could this weren't the terrifying robot monster that it so obviously is.

10. Truck or Happiest Truck Ever?

Happiest truck ever.

If you want more inanimate objects with faces on them check out the best Twitter account in the entire world, @FacePics. Come on. You know you want to.

Images: Ian Jacobs/Flickr