Images and other forms of visual stimulation are everywhere. But just why are they important and how is image-based communication different from other forms of communication?

Being responsive to images is in our DNA: Human visual processing centers are highly sensitive to stimuli, according to BioMed Central, meaning we process images at an alarming speed. Dubious? Just think of all the images you’ve encountered so far today, scrolling through Instagram, looking out your car window, or just making breakfast this morning. Each one will have had some sort of impact, at a conscious or subconscious level. They’re used to tell stories, educate, facilitate interaction, or make a statement. Images shape our personalities and serve as a repository for our memories.

You are what you look at: There’s strong evidence that what you see and post on social media makes you judge yourself relative to other people and the lives they’re posting about, according to imonomy. This can affect many things ― ranging from what you eat and how you dress to the memories you create. Images, including photographs, provoke emotions as part of an unconscious reaction, as we relate what we see to our own experiences, according to True Center Publishing.

And images were among our very first means of communication: Long before the invention of written languages, images allowed humans to share and preserve ideas. At its most basic level, this method is still in use today in symbols on bathroom doors, elevator directions, and road signs. The images transcend spoken language and create a globally-understood means of communication. Yukio Ota, the maker of the exit symbol, is now trying to create a new language made up of only symbols and visuals, according to Medium.