The phenomenon of human vision goes a lot deeper than the eyes. In fact, most of it happens in your brain, where visual stimuli gets processed, untangled and turned into something that makes sense. But that 'something' is not always an accurate representation of said stimuli.
Enter pareidolia – the brain's tendency to jump to the most efficient conclusion regarding seemingly random visual data. It's why we see faces in clouds. It's why a bush seems to take on the shape of a wolf when you're walking through the forest at midnight.
The ability to see that cloud or bush for what it really is isn't something everyone has. Only the most perceptive of people can accurately decode images all the time. You could say that such people have evolved beyond the stage where pareidolia was necessary for survival. After all, at one point in time, erring on the side of caution and seeing that bush as a wolf was helpful.
So, what's all this got to do with you? Well, how would you like to test your perception level? Don't worry, I'm not going to send you off into the wilderness or have you stare at clouds for hours. The test I'm about to show you is simple; it'll only take you a few minutes.
Have a look at the following flip cards and see how long it takes you to decode the image.
