第2952期:Why can we see faces everywhere?

Are you one of those people that sees faces in inanimate objects? Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have been trying to find out why this is. They have pinpointed a circuit in an evolutionarily ancient part of the brain. It's called the superior colliculus, and it helps us recognise facial features. It triggers movement of the eyes, turning of the head and enables us to detect faces.

您是那些在无生命物体中看到面孔的人之一吗？ 美国国立卫生研究院的研究人员一直试图找出其中的原因。 他们在大脑中一个进化古老的部分中找到了一个回路。 它被称为上丘，它帮助我们识别面部特征。 它会触发眼睛的运动、头部的转动，并使我们能够检测面部。

This study helps us understand face pareidolia – the common psychological phenomenon where the brain perceives illusions of faces in objects, like seeing faces in the clouds, exteriors of houses or even in a slice of toast. A study carried out by Susan Wardle showed that the parts of the human brain that respond to faces are sensitive to the shapes of other objects, and that our visual system is optimised for detecting face-like structures.

这项研究帮助我们理解面部空想症——一种常见的心理现象，大脑在物体中感知到面部的幻觉，例如看到云中、房屋外部甚至一片吐司中的面孔。 苏珊·沃德尔 (Susan Wardle) 进行的一项研究表明，人脑中对面部做出反应的部分对其他物体的形状很敏感，而且我们的视觉系统针对检测类似面部的结构进行了优化

To test whether the superior colliculus might help in face detection specifically, researchers assembled a collection of images, including faces, biological non-face objects, like hands and arms, and other miscellaneous items. They then showed these images to adult monkeys in their peripheral field and recorded neural responses in the superior colliculus. It was found that detection of faces was much faster and preferred by neurons. This explains how our brains do it.

为了测试上丘是否有助于面部检测，研究人员收集了一系列图像，包括面部、生物非面部物体（例如手和手臂）以及其他杂项。 然后，他们将这些图像展示给成年猴子的外周视野，并记录上丘的神经反应。 研究发现，面部检测速度要快得多，并且受到神经元的青睐。 这解释了我们的大脑是如何做到这一点的。

But why do our brains do it? Well, it's mainly for survival. According to Dr Amanda Robinson at the University of Queensland, face pareidolia tells us a lot about how we recognise social cues. We can determine whether the person or thing looking at us is a threat because of their facial expression. Richard Krauzlis, senior author of the study, explained that "quick recognition is a key skill in humans and other primates", such as gorillas and chimps. Additionally, biologists have observed human facial recognition and neural developments among species ranging from dogs, sheep, birds and even some insects.

但是我们的大脑为什么要这么做呢？ 嗯，主要是为了生存。 昆士兰大学的阿曼达·罗宾逊博士表示，面部幻想性错觉告诉我们很多关于如何识别社交线索的信息。 我们可以通过面部表情来确定看着我们的人或物是否构成威胁。 该研究的资深作者理查德·克劳兹利斯（Richard Krauzlis）解释说，“快速识别是人类和其他灵长类动物（例如大猩猩和黑猩猩）的一项关键技能”。 此外，生物学家还观察了狗、羊、鸟类甚至一些昆虫等物种的人类面部识别和神经发育。

What we know about recognition of faces and expression can further inform research on conditions such as autism, where face detection and recognition are often impaired from early childhood. It also helps us understand why we think we saw a friendly face in the living room wallpaper.

我们对面部和表情识别的了解可以进一步为自闭症等疾病的研究提供信息，自闭症等疾病的面部检测和识别能力往往从幼儿时期就受到损害。 它还可以帮助我们理解为什么我们认为在客厅壁纸中看到了一张友好的面孔。