Chapter 1: The Quirks of Human Perception

Humans are fascinating beings. Although we pride ourselves on being logical and rational, we often overlook significant gaps in our intuitive understanding. We possess an innate drive to create order from disorder. When faced with chaos, our first instinct is to search for connections and patterns, often leading us to believe in their undeniable validity.

Take, for example, my experience with Instagram. The algorithm is a complete enigma to me. Some of my posts thrive and get widely shared, while others, despite their similarities, are entirely ignored. I find it impossible to predict which images will resonate. Factors I thought would influence success—like photo quality, humor in the captions, or thematic consistency—seem irrelevant.

While some trends exist, the anomalies are so frequent that I can't reliably forecast a post's performance. Interestingly, I've noticed a peculiar trend: on days when my hair looks particularly unkempt, my posts tend to perform better. It sounds absurd, but I even tracked this with a chart.

Despite my background in scientific research, I briefly entertained the idea that bad hair days might somehow boost my Instagram engagement. I never shared this theory, knowing it was absurd, yet a part of me felt I had uncovered a secret.

Why does this happen? Humans are hardwired to identify patterns. In our ancestral past, information was invaluable for survival. A single miscalculation could cost a life.

Our ability to extrapolate trends was critical. For instance, if a bird stops singing near a water source, it could mean various things. However, if this has happened before, and the last time it signaled the presence of a predator, jumping to conclusions could mean the difference between life and death.

In prehistoric times, the skill of spotting trends was crucial. While it might seem trivial to misinterpret a signal, the consequences of inaction could be dire. As Thomas Gilovich, a psychology professor at Cornell University, notes, "Humans have a tendency to see patterns everywhere...we tend to be uneasy with chaos and chance."

In today's world, we are less likely to be in danger from predators, yet the instinct to find patterns remains. With an overwhelming influx of information at our fingertips, we are constantly searching for meaning.

Yet, this access to information often outpaces our ability to process it. We consume vast amounts of data that would have been unimaginable two decades ago, but our capacity to comprehend that information hasn't caught up. As a result, we face confusion instead of simply accepting uncertainty.

This quest for understanding has led to significant breakthroughs in history. For instance, Louis Pasteur connected the dots between milkmaids' exposure to cowpox and their immunity to smallpox, despite the lack of an obvious link.

However, this pattern-seeking behavior can also lead to grave misconceptions. We are so adept at identifying connections that we may see trends where none exist. Our minds may reshape memories, creating false narratives that support our beliefs.

This tendency can give rise to conspiracy theories. Faced with chaos, rather than accepting the randomness of events, we often seek out narratives that suggest a hidden agenda. For example, Flat Earthers, in the face of overwhelming evidence supporting a spherical Earth, cling to fringe theories to make sense of their confusion. Once they adopt a new "truth," they become resistant to revisiting their beliefs.

Humans are perplexing. Our brains retain outdated mechanisms from earlier times, which influence how we interpret the contemporary world. This duality can yield insightful discoveries or lead us astray into manipulation and denial.

What remains constant is our relentless pursuit of knowledge. We are never satisfied with ignorance; we strive to uncover reasons behind occurrences, often believing that everything happens for a purpose.

The first video, "Why we see patterns in randomness | BBC Ideas," explores the psychological basis for our pattern-seeking behavior, revealing how our minds navigate complexity.

Chapter 2: The Blessing and Curse of Pattern Recognition

The second video, "Pattern Recognition - Why seeing patterns is both a blessing and a curse," delves into the dual nature of our ability to recognize patterns, highlighting both its advantages and potential pitfalls.