Apophenia and statistics: between human intuition and critical thinking

Abstract

Apophenia, the human tendency to perceive patterns and connections where none exist, may seem harmless at first glance, but it has profound implications both at the psychological level and in the interpretation of reality. This essay explores how this phenomenon is related to neuropsychological processes and errors in probabilistic reasoning, highlighting the importance of statistics as a tool to differentiate the reality from the illusion. Through different approaches and everyday examples, the aim is to improve our understanding of this deeply human inclination and propose strategies to recognize, manage and avoid erroneous interpretations.