INSANE: Pareidolia pics | Rare Historical Photos

Pareidolia, pronounced par-i-DOH-lee-a is defined as the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern. The word originates from the Greek words para, meaning "beside," and eidolon, meaning "image" or "form."

We might see a creepy face on a rock formation, the shape of animal in the clouds, or a strange scene in a plate of food. It happens because we are are hardwired to seek out familiar, recognizable and often meaningful patterns.

But while we may look back on moments of pareidolia with amusement, for our ancestors, they were an important part of life. According to evolutionary psychologists, seeing patterns in random objects served as survival mechanism. It helped people to quickly identify faces and threats around them.

"I think the brain is so carefully wired to process face information that it's evoked into play as soon as anything even vaguely face shape is present," says Ed Connor, director of the Krieger Mind/Brain Institute.

If you've ever looked up at the moon and seen a face, you're not alone. But interestingly, people around the world tend to see different figures or faces on the moon, depending on their location, the moon's orientation and their own lived experiences.

"In the United States, skygazers tend to see a man’s face, whereas those in East Asia see a rabbit mixing something with a mortar and pestle. In Japan, they think he’s making rice cakes. In Korea and China, he’s whipping up an immortal elixir," reveals the Skillshare site.

It adds that it's not uncommon in New Zealand, for people see a figure of a woman on the moon. They've even got a name for her: Rona. "She is a Maori maiden who disrespected the moon and now has to spend eternity there as punishment," notes the site. 

Some people believe pareidolia plays an important part in creativity, and has done so for ages. According to the departments of Archeology and Psychology at Durham University, Ice Age cave art from 40,000 years ago was partly influenced by pareidolia. In fact, researchers from Durham say more than half the cave art they observed was inspired by the cave wall itself.

"For example, the curved edges of the cave were sometimes used to represent the backs of animals like wild horses and natural cracks were used as bisons’ horns. This strongly suggests that pareidolia inspired their works of art," explains the Skillshare team.