apophenia

[ap-uh-fe-nee-uh, ap-uh-fee-nee-uh]

noun

1. Psychology.,  the tendency to perceive meaningful patterns or connections where there are none.

Example Sentences

The believability of a false narrative is reinforced by what psychologists call apophenia, defined as the proclivity to perceive meaningful connections among unrelated things.

From Salon

However, never before in human history has such dissonance become so embedded globally, because of the massiveness of the diffusion of disinformation through the Internet, whereby through constant repetition and the activation of mechanisms such as apophenia, people might accept, say, a conspiracy theory at face value, adding to it subjectively by commenting on the theory through personal posts.

From Salon

More importantly, I learned how easy it is to fool yourself into perceiving a pattern where none exists — a phenomenon called apophenia, "the condition of seeing or imagining patterns in random occurrences."

From Salon

In many games, like the ones I work on, apophenia is a wild card that can lead participants away from the plot and force designers to scramble to get them back.

From Washington Post

QAnon is a mirror reflection of this dynamic: Apophenia is the point.

From Washington Post