Apophenia

Apophenia is when people see a connection or a meaningful pattern between unrelated things.[1] People who suffer from schizophrenia often see patterns where there are none.[2]

Klaus Conrad first used the term in 1958, when he talked about a patient in the beginning stages of schizophrenia.[3][4] Conrad used the term to describe a cognitive bias towards finding patterns in unrelated things.[4]

Pareidolia is a type of apophenia that involves seeing human faces in random things.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Definition of APOPHENIA". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  2. ↑ Reinke, Michael; Longenecker, Julia M.; Chowdhury, Lamisa; Thai, Michelle; Begnel, Erin; Horek, Nathan; Olman, Cheryl; Cullen, Kathryn R.; Klimes-Dougan, Bonnie (2023). "Behavioral Apophenia and Dimensions of Psychoticism in Adolescents with and without Mood Disorders". Psychopathology. 56 (6): 473–477. doi:10.1159/000529796. ISSN 0254-4962.
  3. ↑ "When the human tendency to detect patterns goes too far". psyche.co. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Conrad, Klaus (1958). Die beginnende Schizophrenie: Versuch einer Gestaltanalyse des Wahns (Unveränd. Neuausg., 4. Aufl ed.). Bonn: Edition Das Narrenschiff im Psychiatrie-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-88414-525-8. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  5. ↑ Ungvarsky, Janine (2023). "Pareidolia". EBSCO. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
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