Have you ever looked at a cloud and seen an angel? What about the odd sensation of seeing a human face in the bark of a tree? If so, you have experienced apophenia. This concept refers to seeing a distinguishable pattern in a random occurrence and applying meaning to what is seen. The term ‘apophenia’ was coined in 1958 by German neurologist Klaus Conrad, who was studying the “unmotivated seeing of connections” in patients with schizophrenia. Apophenia has been described as a Type 1 error.
This common occurrence has four distinct categories such as through visual stimuli, perception of patterns related to numbers or odds (such as used by gamblers), and in clusters (like those in random data). The fourth is a confirmation bias, which is a psychological phenomenon. Overemphasizing data in order to support a belief, justify actions, or explain away any information that disproves your opinion is one category we see in our culture today. From conspiracy theories to seeing the man in the moon, apophenia is a type of bias that can disproportionately influence our perception of the world.
We use apophenia as a bypass tool to find simple answers to complex problems and to be lazy with our intellect. This is feeling complex, and I’m feeling lazy (tee hee). Let’s spark up a conversation with an angel on apophenia:
Stress from traumas of the past influences heightened mental activity, often fueled by fear and feelings of injustice. Self-schemas are created around intense experiences, such as the victim of abuse develops an interest in the subject. The close personal experience leads to the tendency to draw conclusions from random occurrences. Any harsh experience from the past might trigger an apophenic bias in that schema, leading to susceptibility in making false assumptions. Accusations and implied references can become part of a system of bias and prejudice fueled by the bitterness of injustice. Personal attacks become a defensive coping mechanism that supports aggressions toward anyone who opposes one’s belief.
Healthy skepticism is the most powerful defense from making assumptions without evidence, creating a distance between an intellectual confusion and the freedom that comes with factual knowledge. Self-awareness is founded in the perception of yourself and the acceptance of who you have become, far removed from the victim mentality that influences an apophenic bias. Making no assumptions allows an innocence to open the mind without embellishment, so the true story can be written from a place of nurturing love, kindness, understanding, and connection.
Be the explorer who was open to the idea of a round Earth, despite the criticism of those who used aggression to promote a flat Earth. As a seeker who is here to move past unconscious distortions of the mind, it is important to maintain good mental health with a dash of hope from the heart. Loving everyone, despite their firm opinion, is the first step toward loving the person you have become. Allow everyone to express themselves and avoid losing yourself to the anger and hatred of persons under the influence of an apophenic bias.
Make no assumptions, feel the truth, see only light, and find the love in every moment.
Bring joy, ease suffering and create beauty, then dance like you mean it!
Blessings, Russell
“Any fact becomes important when it’s connected to another.”
Umberto Eco
