Words We Love: Apophenia
The tendency to perceive a connection or meaningful pattern between unrelated or random things
This word is shared as part of the Words We Love Substack Carnival, a lexicon of lovable language compiled by some of your current or future favorite educators and writers on Substack. Enjoy all the Valentine’s Day vocabulary on the Words We Love 2025 page.
The first time my husband and I watched Moana with our now two-year-old, we reached the climax of the film—the moment when Moana holds up the glowing green heart of Te Fiti. It pulses with light, an almost supernatural beacon. Without thinking, I whispered, “Gatsby.”
My husband cracked up.
Was this an intentional reference to The Great Gatsby? Almost certainly not. But my brain instantly made the leap. The green light across the bay, Gatsby’s unreachable dream—there it was, glowing in Moana’s hand. This is apophenia in action: the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things.
What is Apophenia?
Coined by German psychiatrist Klaus Conrad in 1958, apophenia refers to our brain’s instinct to find patterns, even when none exist. It comes from the Greek roots:
apo- (away, apart)
phainein (to show, to appear)
It’s what makes us see faces in clouds, secret messages in song lyrics, and connections between Moana and a canonical work of 20th-century American literature that were never actually there.
Apophenia in Learning
This pattern-seeking instinct can be both a superpower and a downfall—especially in education.
We love spotting recurring themes and intertextual references. Some are intentional (i.e., James Joyce’s Ulysses). Some are apophenia at work. (Did F. Scott Fitzgerald foresee a Disney parallel when he wrote Gatsby staring at that green light? Highly unlikely. But that won’t stop my brain from making the connection.)
But apophenia isn’t always a gift—especially on standardized tests. It can lead students down a dangerous path of overanalysis, making them second-guess the obvious answer in favor of a pattern that isn’t actually there.
Have you ever spiraled into a wild interpretation of a question, convinced there’s some deeper, hidden meaning?
“But what if the author’s use of the word ‘blue’ in line 27 is actually a reference to existential melancholy?”
“This answer feels too easy. What if it’s a trick?”
“I noticed that the last three answers have all been C, so this one can’t be C.”
Sometimes, a question is just a question (and a cigar is just a cigar—apophenia!), but apophenia tempts students to believe they’ve cracked some secret code, leading them away from the straightforward answer and into the abyss of overthinking.
This is why test prep often involves un-teaching certain habits. Students need to trust their instincts, rely on clear textual evidence, and resist the urge to read between the lines when the test doesn’t want them to. Because unlike a great novel, the SAT and ACT don’t demand deep literary analysis—they just want you to pick the best-supported answer and move on.
When Apophenia Works in Our Favor
Not all pattern-seeking is bad. In fact, some of the greatest intellectual leaps in history have come from unexpected connections—the kind that appear only when someone notices a pattern others overlook. Apophenia can be a superpower when applied in the right context:
Creativity & Innovation – Writers, artists, and scientists all thrive on spotting links where others don’t. Think of Newton “seeing” gravity in a falling apple or Shakespeare borrowing from history and mythology to craft timeless stories. The ability to connect seemingly unrelated ideas is the foundation of creativity.
Humor & Inside Jokes – My Moana-Gatsby moment is a perfect example. Comedy often works because of apophenia—our brains delight in unexpected but oddly satisfying connections. Whether it’s a well-timed meme, a running inside joke, or a comedian making an absurd but spot-on comparison, pattern recognition is at the heart of what makes things funny.
Problem-Solving – Recognizing patterns is crucial for math, logic, and test-taking—when applied correctly. A student spotting a recurring formula in SAT math problems or a hidden structure in reading comprehension passages is using apophenia to their advantage. The key is knowing when a pattern is real and when it’s just a mental mirage.
When used wisely, apophenia is what helps us think outside the box, make new discoveries, and find meaning in the world around us. The trick is making sure it doesn’t lead us astray—like second-guessing a perfectly good SAT answer because it feels “too obvious.”
The Beauty of Finding Meaning Everywhere
At its core, apophenia is what makes us human. We see constellations in the stars, faces on toast, and Gatsby in Moana. Whether it leads to over-analysis, conspiracy theories, or simply a shared laugh with your spouse, it’s a reminder that our brains are wired to seek meaning in everything.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, my kids are about to watch Frozen, and I don’t want to miss the scene where Frankenstein’s creature retreats to an isolated fortress, terrified of human contact. Sorry—I mean when Elsa builds her ice palace.