Shannon Ficklin, 50, receives signs from the universe almost every day, usually in the form of feathers, yellow butterflies or repeating numbers. Ficklin, a real estate agent living outside Austin, often interprets these physical symbols to mean she’s on the right track. She’s found hundreds of feathers over the past few years: on her lawn, in her grocery cart, on the sidewalk downtown. Last year, Ficklin was feeling a little sad and anxious about moving out of the family home of 23 years. On her last walk in the nearby park, she found 16 white bird feathers under a tree and took it as a good omen. “As, I’m leaving in peace, it’s time to move on and, yes, you should go” Ficklin tells SELF.

Perhaps you’ve had similar experiences where you felt like the universe — or depending on your beliefs, maybe God, an angel, or an ancestor — was trying to send you a subtle message through improbable coincidences or recurring symbols. Maybe your car broke down on your way to an interview and you realized this job wasn’t for you. Or maybe you noticed the number 33 everywhere and see it as breadcrumbs leading you in a certain direction. Or you ran into your ex right after hearing their favorite song and now you’re wondering if that means you should get back together.

So… what’s really going on here? Not to spoil anyone’s fun, but it turns out there’s a scientific reason why we sometimes see a connection between unrelated events, a recurring number, or a pattern in nature and call it a sign from above, instead of the coincidence that it really is. This is called apophenia, which is “the tendency to perceive patterns or connections that do not actually exist.” Colin DeYoung, Ph.D.psychology professor and personality researcher at the University of Minnesota who has studied the phenomenon, tells SELF. It also explains why you might see a face in the clouds or hear your name being called in a noisy crowd (when no one is saying it), he says.

Thanks to the way your brain processes the world around you, “you feel like these things are connected in a meaningful way.” Christian Rominger, Ph.D.professor of biological psychology at the University of Graz in Austria who studies apophenia, tells SELF. When in reality they are completely random. Below, the experts explain Why our minds play these games with us, and whether or not you should be concerned if you or someone you know relies on these kinds of “signs” often in everyday life.

Apophenia is a completely normal result of your brain’s ability to recognize patterns.

This tendency to find meaning in the world around us is practically written into our DNA. Human brains have evolved to become machines for recognizing patterns, making connections, and creating meaning, Tali Sharot, Ph.D.professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London and MIT who studies how we make decisions, process information, and form beliefs, tells SELF. “One of the main things (the brain) is supposed to do is find patterns.”