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Neuroscientists explain a fascinating phenomenon where people see faces as dragons

Alice in Wonderland syndrome continues to perplex experts.

Photo by Ravit Sages on Unsplash

A gray dragon statue.

As Halloween creeps ever closer, there's an interesting, yet scary brain phenomenon gaining attention that has neuroscientists a tad puzzled. Imagine this: You're talking to a neighbor and there's nothing out of the ordinary. Suddenly, their face gruesomely twists itself into something unrecognizable, morphing into—well, for lack of a better word—a demon or dragon face.

Also referred to as "Demon face syndrome," its medical name is prosopometamorphopsia (say THAT three times fast), and it was first coined by British neurologist MacDonald Critchley in 1953.

It sounds like something out of a horror film, but it's very real. In an 2014 study, four neuroscientists and psychologists—Dr. Jan Dirk Blom, PhDa, Iris E. C. Sommer, PhDc,d, Sanne Koops, MScc,d and the world-renowned Oliver W. Sacks, MDe—shared their case report in The Lancet Journal, entitled, "Prosopometamorphopsia and facial hallucinations." They discuss a 52-year-old woman who, in the midst of staring at a face, would experience something terrifying. "In just minutes, they (the faces) turned black, grew long, pointy ears and a protruding snout and displayed reptoid skin and huge eyes—bright, yellow, green, blue or red." This happened multiple times a day.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Upon studying her case, they found she also experienced "occasional zoopsia," which is described as the sensation of "seeing large ants crawling over her hands." They say she was fully aware she was seeing hallucinations. In other words, she knew the phenomenon wasn't reality.

After looking at her blood test results and extensive neurological exams, they found very little out of the ordinary, other than some "white matter abnormalities." The condition is rare, but usually attributed to occipital lobe functioning (the part of the brain that controls visual perception) or, in some cases, tied in with "epilepsy, migraine or eye disease."

Years later, this complex disorder is still being discussed and diagnosed in a handful of studies—and it's still just as perplexing. In a recent article for Discover Magazine, writer Rosie McCall notes that the study was less about faces and more about being in the dark: “She saw similar dragon-like faces drifting towards her many times a day from the walls, electrical sockets, or the computer screen, in both the presence and absence of face-like patterns, and at night she saw many dragon-like faces in the dark.”

McCall shares, "Further examples of prosopometamorphopsia (specifically) include individuals who see faces transform into fish heads, faces melting, and faces featuring a third or fourth eye. It has even been put forward that the art of Pablo Picasso and Francis Bacon suggests they could have experienced the condition at some point in their lives."

distorted face, picasso, demon face syndrome, alice in wonderland syndrome A Picasso painting www.publicdomainpictures.net

Each step of learning about this is a jump down a new rabbit hole because prosopometamorphopsia happens to be part of a larger set of conditions called Alice in Wonderland syndrome. Those suffering from this condition might (for example) see only half a face, or perhaps faces and objects may appear larger or smaller than they are in actuality.

Also known as Todd syndrome, Mission Health reports: "For English psychiatrist John Todd, who named the condition in 1955—AIWS is a neurological disorder associated with a set of symptoms that affect how you perceive your body and the world around you."

In a video on SciShow Psych's YouTube channel, they make the distinction between people with this rare disorder and a drug-induced psychosis or a brain disorder like schizophrenia. "There's a key difference between these hallucinations and ones you'd experience for other reasons like drug use or schizophrenia. People with Alice in Wonderland syndrome always seem to KNOW they're illusions. They don't get confused about what's real and what's not."

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There are quite a few threads on Reddit dedicated to both PMO and its umbrella condition, Alice in Wonderland syndrome. Of the former, one Redditor shares a post writing, "A very rare condition known as prosopometamorphopsia (PMO) causes facial features to appear distorted. A new paper describes a 58-year-old male with PMO, who sees faces without any distortions when viewed on a screen and on paper but sees distorted faces that appear 'demonic' when viewed in-person."

Hundreds of comments follow, noting the connection to prosopagnosia (face blindness) and other conditions. One commenter shares, "There’s a guy on TikTok who has a schizophrenia diagnosis. He has a therapy dog who is trained to 'speak' (bark) if someone else is actually in the room with the guy. If no one else is in the room, the dog won’t bark. So when this guy has a hallucination that someone else is there, one of the first things he does is he commands his dog to 'speak.' If the dog doesn’t speak, then he knows he’s got a hallucination going."

Another adds, "I read about this through another source. 50% of the patients had lesions in their brain, meaning they had some sort of brain injury—seizures, fall, etc. Tinted colored glasses actually helped them stop seeing the distortions. One patient used a specific shade of green. Varies between patients."

As for Alice in Wonderland syndrome, another Redditor asked if anyone had it. Many confirm they did, and lots of commenters linked it to having migraines.

One person spun it in a positive light: "I didn't know it had this name until I was an adult. For me, I feel tiny and everything around me is giant and far away. It started as a kid, but I'm one of the people that never outgrew it. I still get it pretty frequently. Now I can control it to a point. I feel it and I can go in and out of the distortion as I want. It used to scare me but now I lean into the feeling because I like it."


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'Move in Silence': Science confirms not talking about your goals actually helps you achieve them

Sharing your goals out loud makes you feel closer to finishing them. That's not a good thing.

TikTok: @wemiopakunle, @_alliechen, @mandanazarfhami,
Science confirms ‘Move in Silence’ trend might be the smartest way to achieve your goals.

Don't roll your eyes: TikTok's latest viral wisdom is backed by hard data—and it's making people rethink their communication habits. We live in a world of chronic oversharing. We post everything, from the routes we run (including screenshots as proof of all that hard work), to the pale-green iced matcha latte sitting at our desks or a present from a boyfriend (who will be tagged prominently, not secretly off screen). Who knows when, but our brains became wired for sharing: to record, to curate, and to post every second of our lives, then consume that of others to a disturbing degree.

So, here's a radical idea: when it comes to goals and plans, try keeping them to yourself. It could be the key to making them a reality.

That's the message behind TikTok's massively popular "Move in Silence" trend, where creators like @noemoneyyy have cracked the contradictory code to success: Instead of broadcasting every big idea or project that runs through your head, if you actually want it to come to fruition, keep your plans to yourself until they're executed. And it's not just a trend; surprisingly, science also supports this muted approach.

@noemoneyyy

Work in private and let the results speak! #privatelife #privatelifehappylife #workinprivate #creatorsearchinsights

"As a former oversharer who used to tell every single friend, every single family member, or a partner everything I was doing, I promise you things always work out better when you keep them to yourself," explains creator @noemoneyyy in a video that's garnered millions of views.

On a different video by @mandanazarfhami, she says, “I don’t care what you’ve got going on in your life: that dream job, that city that you want to move to, that dream person, that dream life, that dream anything. Literally keep it to yourself until it’s done.”

Commentors were quick to agree, with one person writing: “From a young age, I never told anyone my next steps. I also taught my husband and son to keep our private matters to themselves and just do things 💯Not many people like it, but who cares🌝🙌🏼🫶🏼”

Another chimed in, “This concept has changed my life for the better.” Others replied, “100 agree 💕” and “100%🙌🏼people can’t ruin what is silent, show results.”

Lil Wayne, famously, agreed when he wrote "Real G's move in silence like lasagna."

@mandanazarghami

monitoring spirits are a real thing - move in silence and watch how much your life changes #fypシ

What's going on here

In a study done by New York University, researchers found that people who kept their goals private worked on tasks for an average of 45 minutes, compared to the 33 minutes of work completed by those who announced their plans in advance. The twist? The people who shared their goals expressed feeling closer to finishing, despite doing approximately 25% less work.

NYU psychologist Peter Gollwitzer, who led the research, concluded that "once you've told other people your intentions, it gives you a 'premature sense of completeness.'" He also found that the brain is made up of "identity symbols," which create one's self-image. Interestingly, both action and talking about action create symbols in your brain, so simply speaking about a future plan or something you want to do satisfies that part of your brain. When we make our goals public, especially ones that matter to us and deal with our identity, our ability to achieve said goal is significantly reduced. As the old adage goes, "actions speak louder than words."

Stranger still, in his paper "Does Social Reality Widen the Intention-Behavior Gap," Gollwitzer notes that in order for this phenomenon to happen, one must truly care about their goals. "Ironically, this effect was only found for participants who are very committed to their goal!" PsychologyToday notes. "The lesson learned is that the more passionate you are about your goals, the more secretive you should be about them."

women, silence, achievements, goals, move in silence Say less and do more. Photo by Darí Dorofeeva on Unsplash

Another reason to keep quiet: If you're a beginner trying something new, sharing your plans could potentially open you up to criticism and negative feedback, which could deter you from even starting. At the University of Chicago, professor Ayelet Fishbach conducted studies to determine how positive and negative feedback affects the pursuit of one's goal. According to Atlassian, she and her team found:

  • When positive feedback signals commitment to a goal, it increases motivation.
  • When positive feedback signals progress, it actually decreases motivation.

"One example the researchers give is a math student who gets a good grade on a test. If she perceives it to mean she likes math, she will study harder. If, however, she sees the high score as a sign she is making progress in the class, she may ease up and study less," they write.

We've all been there: excitedly telling everyone about your grand plans to backpack through Europe, the year you'll finally learn Spanish, or joining the group lesson at the tennis courts you always pass by… only to mysteriously lose all motivation a week later. Turns out, those lovely dopamine bursts that accompany every enthusiastic "That sounds great!" or "You should totally do it!" response might be precisely what's holding you back.

The good news? You don't need to become closed-off and secretive, a hermit on the top of a mountain who's afraid to share any part of themselves with the world. Research suggests that sharing your goals with one or two selected friends who can be trusted to provide meaningful support is still a good idea. Just hold off on the Instagram Live announcement until you've actually accomplished something substantial.

women, silence, achievements, goals, move in silence Shhhhhh Giphy

So, the next time you sit down to write your goals, whether they be a new year's resolution, the day's to-do list, or a five-year plan, think twice about sharing it with others. Give it time and you might have something better to share soon: the results.

Nolwazi Sangweni writes for The Orange Journal: "Moving in silence is staying lowkey and only popping out when the main questions you’ll be asked will start with ‘since when…?’"

This article originally appeared in April. It has been updated.

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Happiness researcher explains how making a 'reverse bucket list' can change your life

Counterintuitive in our culture, but effective.

Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons

Harvard researcher Arthur C. Brooks studies what leads to human happiness.

We live in a society that prizes ambition, celebrating goal-setting, and hustle culture as praiseworthy vehicles on the road to success. We also live in a society that associates successfully getting whatever our hearts desire with happiness. The formula we internalize from an early age is that desire + ambition + goal-setting + doing what it takes = a successful, happy life.

But as Harvard University happiness researcher Arthur C. Brooks has found, in his studies as well as his own experience, that happiness doesn't follow that formula. "It took me too long to figure this one out," Brooks told podcast host Tim Ferris, explaining why he uses a "reverse bucket list" to live a happier life.

bucket list, wants, desires, goals, detachment Many people make bucket lists of things they want in life. Giphy

Brooks shared that on his birthday, he would always make a list of his desires, ambitions, and things he wanted to accomplish—a bucket list. But when he was 50, he found his bucket list from when he was 40 and had an epiphany: "I looked at that list from when I was 40, and I'd checked everything off that list. And I was less happy at 50 than I was at 40."

As a social scientist, he recognized that he was doing something wrong and analyzed it.

"This is a neurophysiological problem and a psychological problem all rolled into one handy package," he said. "I was making the mistake of thinking that my satisfaction would come from having more. And the truth of the matter is that lasting and stable satisfaction, which doesn't wear off in a minute, comes when you understand that your satisfaction is your haves divided by your wants…You can increase your satisfaction temporarily and inefficiently by having more, or permanently and securely by wanting less."

Brooks concluded that he needed a "reverse bucket list" that would help him "consciously detach" from his worldly wants and desires by simply writing them down and crossing them off.

"I know that these things are going to occur to me as natural goals," Brooks said, citing human evolutionary psychology. "But I do not want to be owned by them. I want to manage them." He discussed moving those desires from the instinctual limbic system to the conscious pre-frontal cortex by examining each one and saying, "Maybe I get it, maybe I don't," but crossing them off as attachments. "And I'm free…it works," he said.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"When I write them down, I acknowledge that I have the desire," he explained on X. "When I cross them out, I acknowledge that I will not be attached to this goal."

The idea that attachment itself causes unhappiness is a concept found in many spiritual traditions, but it is most closely associated with Buddhism. Mike Brooks, PhD, explains that humans need healthy attachments, such as an attachment to staying alive and attachments to loved ones, to avoid suffering. But many things to which we are attached are not necessarily healthy, either by degree (over-attachment) or by nature (being attached to things that are impermanent).

"We should strive for flexibility in our attachments because the objects of our attachment are inherently in flux," Brooks writes in Psychology Today. "In this way, we suffer unnecessarily when we don't accept their impermanent nature."

What Arthur C. Brooks suggests that we strive to detach ourselves from our wants and desires because the simplest way to solve the 'haves/wants = happiness' formula is to reduce the denominator. The reverse bucket list, in which you cross off desires before you fulfill them, can help free you from attachment and lead to a happier overall existence.

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Woman summarizes 4 years of therapy in a 1-minute video and it's actually really helpful

We can all use these nuggets of wisdom.

Photo credit: Canva

Therapy gives people lots of mental tools.

In recent decades, the stigma around going to therapy has plummeted as people recognize the widespread need for mental health help. In fact, for the first time, more Americans are relying on treatment to meet that need than on medication, with around 22 million Americans engaging in talk therapy to work through their struggles, NPR reports.

One of the benefits of therapy is the range of tools you receive for managing your thoughts and feelings, as well as reframing how you interact with them. Many of these tools are accessible to everyone. While there's no substitute for actual therapy, as it may require specific strategies and work to unpack how best to implement those tools in a person's individual circumstances, there are many valuable nuggets of wisdom that people glean from therapy, which are helpful for everyone. And thanks to one woman summarizing what she describes as four years of therapy in one minute, we have a bunch of those nuggets all in one place.

Kathryn of @energygrowthhub's video has nearly 19 million views, and when you see the list of what she shares, it's not hard to see why:

– "You really do become what you think. If you fill your mind with trash, you're going to feel like trash."

– "Emotions—they're not problems, they're signals. Fear shows you what really matters. Anger tells you what boundaries have been crossed. Anxiety means that you're stuck in the future, and it's a reminder that you need to come back to the present."

– "Motivation won't change your life, habits will. When you change your habits, everything shifts."

– "Your past? That is a chapter, not your whole story. Learn from it, but stop living there."

– "When someone triggers you, pause. Because that's a mirror showing you what's still unhealed inside of you."

therapy, counseling, psychology, psychotherapy, wisdom When you feel triggered by someone, it's like a mirror showing you what needs to heal. Photo credit: Canva

– "Control—total illusion. The only real power that you have in this is you and your choices."

– "At the end of the day, it's simple: Your thoughts shape you, your habits build you, and your choices define you."

People were grateful for the clear, concise summary, which addressed so many aspects that resonated with them. Some therapists even chimed in with support, and many said that they wanted to review it over and over:

"And as a therapist, all of this is so true."

"As a therapist for 25 years, yes."

"Wait, slow down, let me write this down. ✍🏽"

"Wait, hold on, I’m making this my alarm clock."

"Probably the most valuable TikTok I’ve ever watched."

"I feel like I owe this lady some money for the therapy session for all the information. I appreciate it."

"I have been watching this on repeat. Too much good stuff in here. Phew."

As an overview, this one-minute synopsis is on point. However, you can delve much deeper into each of the points she shares.

therapy, counseling, psychology, psychotherapy, wisdom There's not substitute for therapy, but having a quick list of basic mental health tools can help. Photo credit: Canva

For instance, on the "You are what you think" front, Lisa Ferentz LCSW-C, DAPA writes in Psychology Today, "As a therapist, I’ve tried to teach clients that their thoughts profoundly impact their moods and shifting emotions, their behavioral choices, their self-confidence, the healthy risks that do or don't get taken, and their feelings of self-worth and self-esteem in all arenas of life. Countless common thoughts can have a negative and lasting impact."

Another tidbit from the video that struck many people was the "Anxiety means that you're stuck in the future" statement. While that's not a complete picture of anxiety, a lot of anxiety is indeed a fear of what might happen in the future. "Some of us even hold a sense that anxiety protects us from the future, often through the misguided belief that if we worry about them, our worst fears won’t happen," Lisa Firestone, Ph.D., shares with Psychology Today. In our effort to control the uncontrollable or be certain about uncertainty, we rehearse tragedy and tell ourselves scary stories, but to what effect? When we get too far ahead of ourselves, we drive ourselves crazy. We aren’t living in the moment or experiencing our actual present circumstances."

All of these therapy gems have many layers, and, of course, people should actually undergo the therapy they need to make the most effective use of them. However, they are still helpful reminders for all of us that our mental states are not set in stone. And putting them into such digestible one-liners allows us to easily keep them in our toolbelt to pull out any time we need them.

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