# Dendritic patterns slightly repulsive **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 6, 2018, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305 "2018-02-06T14:54:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/1 "2018-02-06T14:54:07Z")
Is it hardwired into our brains to find [dendritic patterns](https://www.google.com/search?biw=1920&bih=930&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=XL55WrrjO8y4sQXfvofQCw&q=dendritic+pattern&oq=dendritic+pa&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0l6j0i30k1j0i8i30k1l3.61693.65680.0.67191.7.6.0.1.1.0.156.822.0j6.6.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.7.855...0i67k1.0.RoKKTbvRoWk) unattractive or even repelling on some level? A) On a scale of 1 to 10 (1=shriek out loud and recoil in horror when viewing; 10=I love ‘em so much I painted a big ol’ dendrite on the front of my house) how appealing or unappealing do you find dendritic patterns? B) Assuming a majority of responses to B) are 1-5 what do you think might account for us finding dendritic patterns to be inherently unpleasant? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/2 "2018-02-06T15:03:00Z")
I quite like them. I give them a 9. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/3 "2018-02-06T15:06:12Z")
I find them interesting enough in situ. Tree branches, rivers, blood vessels, etc. I’d probably find one painted on a house a little peculiar but not repelling. I guess I’ll give them a 7 or 8 – neat in their own way but nothing I’m seeking out or creating artificially just to look at one. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/4 "2018-02-06T15:54:14Z")
7 or 8 Some of them are kind of creepy looking, but most are quite beautiful. I guess it depends on where it is or what it’s on. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/5 "2018-02-06T15:59:19Z")
I go out with my camera of particularly frosty morning looking for them. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/6 "2018-02-06T16:15:10Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > Is it hardwired into our brains to find [dendritic patterns](https://www.google.com/search?biw=1920&bih=930&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=XL55WrrjO8y4sQXfvofQCw&q=dendritic+pattern&oq=dendritic+pa&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0l6j0i30k1j0i8i30k1l3.61693.65680.0.67191.7.6.0.1.1.0.156.822.0j6.6.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.7.855...0i67k1.0.RoKKTbvRoWk) unattractive or even repelling on some level? What makes you think they are “inherently unpleasant” to even a significant minority of people, much less “hardwired into our brains”? I can’t find any info online to support your premise and the answers here so far tend toward the opposite… ---
**Author:** ![Maurie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Maurie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maurie)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/7 "2018-02-06T16:19:11Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > What makes you think they are “inherently unpleasant” to even a significant minority of people, much less “hardwired into our brains”? I can’t find any info online to support your premise and the answers here so far tend toward the opposite… I’m curious about this, too. I find them quite pretty, and am surprised anyone would assume the majority of people wouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/8 "2018-02-06T16:23:21Z")
I like them - so either I’m not human or they’re not somehow inherently wired to be repulsive. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/9 "2018-02-06T16:24:00Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > What makes you think they are “inherently unpleasant” to even a significant minority of people, much less “hardwired into our brains”? I can’t find any info online to support your premise and the answers here so far tend toward the opposite… I think it’s self evident that most people don’t find trees inherently unpleasant (which after all are the namesake of “dendritic patterns”) so the premise fails on the slightest inspection. And the fact that we commonly use dendritic patterns for decoration also serves to refute this. It’s possible that patterns that resemble mold or fungus could be thought repellent, but as a general case that’s clearly not true. ---
**Author:** ![RollOutTheBarrel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rolloutthebarrel/32/1649_2.png) [@RollOutTheBarrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RollOutTheBarrel)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/10 "2018-02-06T16:24:43Z")
I’d give them a 9. I think they’re beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/11 "2018-02-06T16:26:33Z")
I’m with all the other respondents, they’re pretty neat. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/12 "2018-02-06T17:12:04Z")
Beautiful patterns. I’ll say 8 or 9. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/13 "2018-02-06T17:19:42Z")
I’ll go with the exact opposite–we are barely out of the trees, we should be programmed to think of them as homey. I think that you are in a much more exclusive club than you thought you were, OP. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/14 "2018-02-06T17:31:31Z")
I’d give them an 8 as well. Many are quite beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/15 "2018-02-06T18:15:00Z")
Meh. 6, maybe 7. Certainly not ‘hard-wired’ to find them unattractive or repelling. Like others above, I’d like to see the chain of logic/evidence you used, Cardigan, to reach that conclusion. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/16 "2018-02-06T18:59:28Z")
Very mild dislike to neutral. I like my trees to be leafy. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/17 "2018-02-06T19:10:18Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > What makes you think they are “inherently unpleasant” to even a significant minority of people, much less “hardwired into our brains”? I can’t find any info online to support your premise and the answers here so far tend toward the opposite… Based 100% on anecdotal evidence. Eight of the nine people in the office happened to agree. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/18 "2018-02-06T19:18:06Z")
My buddy just made a kitchen table where he used a high voltage transformer to burn random dendritic electrical patterns into the tabletop. Looks pretty great if you ask me. I’m going to say high score, 7-9. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/19 "2018-02-06T19:29:00Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I’ll go with the exact opposite–we are barely out of the trees, we should be programmed to think of them as homey. I think that you are in a much more exclusive club than you thought you were, OP. Precisely this fact, that we are used to see trees so much that we have the pattern more or less imprinted on our retinas, might, however, make distinctly different patterns, such as straight lines and angles, stand out in comparison. For better or worse, obviously; but in any case, we are more likely to _notice_ them. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305/20 "2018-02-06T19:37:58Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > My buddy just made a kitchen table where he used a high voltage transformer to burn random dendritic electrical patterns into the tabletop. Looks pretty great if you ask me. I’m going to say high score, 7-9. I’ve seen this done. The fractal, tree-like patterns can be very cool. Some resemble traditional Japanese art. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dendritic-patterns-slightly-repulsive/808305.md?page=2)