--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our brains are wired to interpret shapes…" description: "\"Our brains are wired to interpret shapes as faces and bodies. That's why people see the Virgin Mary in the clouds or even in cheese sandwiches. It's yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/968/seth-shostak-2047_body_our-brains-are-wired-to-interpret-shapes_2287020.png" --- # Our brains are wired to interpret shapes as faces and… ![“Our brains are wired to interpret shapes as faces and bodies. That's why people see the Virgin Mary in the clouds or even in cheese sandwiches. It's your cytoplasm, not some strange ectoplasm.” quote by Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/968/seth-shostak-2047_body_our-brains-are-wired-to-interpret-shapes_2287020.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/968/seth-shostak-2047_body_our-brains-are-wired-to-interpret-shapes_2287020.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/968/seth-shostak-2047_body_our-brains-are-wired-to-interpret-shapes_2287020.png) > “Our brains are wired to interpret shapes as faces and bodies. That's why people see the Virgin Mary in the clouds or even in cheese sandwiches. It's your cytoplasm, not some strange ectoplasm.” [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human brains are predisposed to see familiar patterns like faces, leading to pareidolia in random stimuli. **In simple terms:** We see faces in clouds and objects. Key Takeaway Be aware of pattern‑recognition bias. Themes cognition perception psychology Mood curious analytical Type educational thought‑provoking When to use this quote - everyday observations - astronomy discussions - critical thinking workshops - media analysis Key Concepts pareidolia pattern recognition Questions to Reflect On - How does pareidolia affect belief in UFOs? - Can you think of other examples of pattern bias? A Different Perspective Pattern‑recognition can cause false conclusions about evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Brains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brains/) [Cheese sandwiches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheese-sandwiches/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Virgin mary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virgin-mary/) ## Related quotes > [If God is watching us, as some believers suggest, as though we were a television show and God had a lot of free time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/if-god-is-watching-us-as-some-believers-suggest-as-though-we-were-a/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I gut check my show. I say, I say, "Gut, gut, does that feel true to you?" And Gut says, "Yes it does, Stephen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-gut-check-my-show-i-say-i-say-gut-gut-does-that-feel-true-to-you/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I've been craving peanut butter-and-mayonnaise fried cheese sandwiches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-nicole-smith/i-ve-been-craving-peanut-butter-and-mayonnaise-fried-cheese-sandwiches/) [Anna Nicole Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-nicole-smith/) > [I can't cook, but I can make a turkey and cheese sandwich like nobody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/i-can-t-cook-but-i-can-make-a-turkey-and-cheese-sandwich-like-nobody/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [Call me All-American, but I love Ham and Cheese sandwiches. And not just any old ham and cheese sandwich... My mother's is the best.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-roddick/call-me-all-american-but-i-love-ham-and-cheese-sandwiches-and-not/) [Andy Roddick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-roddick/) > [I make this really good tomato soup from scratch and I do it with grilled cheese sandwich dippers on the side. That's really, really,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gigi-hadid/i-make-this-really-good-tomato-soup-from-scratch-and-i-do-it-with/) [Gigi Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gigi-hadid/) > [When you love something, whether it's jam and cheese sandwiches or wearing your pyjamas as pants, you forget that it was ever anything other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisha-lim/when-you-love-something-whether-it-s-jam-and-cheese-sandwiches-or/) Elisha Lim > [I would love a sandwich,' said Tybalt, with enough gravity to make it sound like a formal proclamation. Resolved: that we will have ham…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-would-love-a-sandwich-said-tybalt-with-enough-gravity-to-make-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You don't have to be a star to get a cheese sandwich. You just have to be first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-star-to-get-a-cheese-sandwich-you-just-have-to/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [We hunger for significance, for signs that our personal existence is of special meaning to the universe. To that end, we’re all too eager…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/we-hunger-for-significance-for-signs-that-our-personal-existence-is/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I'm an appalling cook. I can just about create a glass of orange juice and a ham-and-cheese sandwich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-o-briain/i-m-an-appalling-cook-i-can-just-about-create-a-glass-of-orange-juice/) [Dara O Briain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-o-briain/) > [Now, I was a fan of the simple pleasures in life: grilled cheese sandwiches without black flecks on the crust, jeans that didn't pinch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/now-i-was-a-fan-of-the-simple-pleasures-in-life-grilled-cheese/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“... as if I’d said I wanted to sell cheese sandwiches outside Grateful Dead concerts...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer-3/as-if-i-d-said-i-wanted-to-sell-cheese-sandwiches-outside-grateful/) J R Moehringer > [She is more Mother than Queen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/therese-of-lisieux/she-is-more-mother-than-queen/) [Therese of Lisieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/therese-of-lisieux/) > [“PROTECT me and mine and all men during this night and through the intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary, preserve us from all dangers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-vallery/protect-me-and-mine-and-all-men-during-this-night-and-through-the/) Jeremiah Vallery ## More by Seth Shostak > [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [As far as I can tell, the only unambiguous consequence of the claimed invasion of Earth by beings from another star system has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/as-far-as-i-can-tell-the-only-unambiguous-consequence-of-the-claimed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Look, science is hard, it has a reputation of being hard, and the facts are, it is hard, and that's the result of 400…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/look-science-is-hard-it-has-a-reputation-of-being-hard-and-the-facts/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Give consideration to the fact that alien astronomers could have scrutinized Earth for more than 4 billion years without detecting any radio signals, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alien-astronomers-could-have/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [In a movie, it's often important to have aliens whose gestures and facial expressions can be 'read' by humans. 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But just about everyone would like to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/sure-nobody-will-make-a-fortune-if-we-figure-out-why-the-big-bang/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [If you could drive straight down, into a tunnel bored through the crust of the planet, you'd hit this molten mess in about an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/if-you-could-drive-straight-down-into-a-tunnel-bored-through-the/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [While I have always thought that the motivation for looking for E.T. was both self-evident and patently worthy, it's possible that I'm a victim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/while-i-have-always-thought-that-the-motivation-for-looking-for-e-t/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [I studied Latin in high school, and I was reading stuff from Cicero. And that signal took a few thousand years to get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/i-studied-latin-in-high-school-and-i-was-reading-stuff-from-cicero/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [About the only things that are unique to Earth are our biota and our culture. If aliens ever come here, they'd most likely be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/about-the-only-things-that-are-unique-to-earth-are-our-biota-and-our/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [This plucky NASA telescope is able to find planets en masse. If you compare planet hunting to prospecting for gold, then Kepler is equivalent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/this-plucky-nasa-telescope-is-able-to-find-planets-en-masse-if-you/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [The most attractive habitats for synthetic sentience might be the vicinities of exceptional sources of energy - for example black holes, or even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-most-attractive-habitats-for-synthetic-sentience-might-be-the/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Buying insurance is no one's idea of fun. And it's especially easy to berate something as funky-sounding as writing checks to defend our neighborhoods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/buying-insurance-is-no-one-s-idea-of-fun-and-it-s-especially-easy-to/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Plate tectonics is not all havoc and destruction. 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I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. 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