A picture is worth a thousand words

It is a common enough saying – a picture is worth a thousand words – and unlike certain other oft-repeated proverbs, this is one that we know instinctively to be true. Human beings like pictures. A graph is easier to understand than a list of numbers, a picture is easier to grasp than a long-winded description. Some yoga posture are well nigh impossible to describe in words, yet a simple stick figure can show you exactly how to fold and twist your arms, legs and other appendages to achieve it, should you choose to do so. For that matter, the use of an Indian toilet is so much easier to understand when drawn in a picture. Easier drawn than used, of course, but that’s a different story altogether.

Why do we comprehend pictures so much better than words? The answer lies in the trajectory of our evolution. We were visual beings long before we had any concept of language. Our ability to process visual images is deeper, more nuanced, and infinitely more developed than our ability to express thoughts in words. Language is a crude tool compared to color, shape, and perspective.

Stick figures in particular are fascinating. They’re the oldest known art form. Long before he could talk coherently, man was scribbling pictures on any surface he could, making art, playing God, and setting himself apart from any other animal that shared the planet with him. Even today, we can see that phase in little children, who are fascinated with comics, and other simple pictographic narratives (along with the desire to crawl and hide in dark confined spaces).

Our reliance on sight does have a dark side too. When we ask ourselves in a new age funk why people cannot get beyond things like a person’s skin color or appearance, the answer is the same as why we’re moved to tears by a few dabs of paint on a canvas. We are visual beings. Beauty may be skin deep, but the perception of it goes to the very core of our being.

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