Face Blind

Here's a common scenario:

I'm watching a movie with friends.  The protagonist woman begins kissing her white, middle-aged husband.  My friends gasp.  "What's the big deal?"  I ask.  "I can't believe she's cheating!"  A friend exclaims.  "Cheating?"  I ask, "But, she's kissing her husband."  "That's NOT her husband!  Are you kidding me?"

So there I am, embarrassed.  Why could everyone else tell that wasn't her husband?  They both have short brown hair and wear clothes like a polo shirt and khakis.

Another example while watching the morning news:

Mike: Ugh, she is annoying.
Me: (looking at the TV) Who is that?
Mike: Um, Kim Kardashian?
Me: Oh.

At the time this conversation happened a few months ago, I knew Kim Kardashian had some kind of reality TV show, that she was going to get married to some sports guy, and that she had sisters who she made famous.  I'm saying this because while I don't follow any celebrities (and often go out of my way not to follow them), I obviously pick up information about them just from generally being out in the world.  I have undoubtedly seen a picture of Kim Kardashian before.  I know I have seen many since then.  But, if you show me a picture of her now with no context, I am 99% certain I will not know who she is.

I would recognize her in this picture

I would NOT recognize her in this picture

Because I cannot seem to remember faces, I frequently dislike watching movies where the characters are all men who generally look the same.  My biggest problem seems to be with middle-aged white men - I cannot seem to remember them from one scene to the next.  I have always been a little self conscious about this.

Ever since I disclosed this issue to Mike, I have been comfortable enough to just ask every time I am not sure which character someone is.  Once I began doing this, I realized just how frequently the problem occurs.  It sometimes turns into fights: "I JUST told you who he was!!  Stop asking about the same guy over and over again!"

Then, everything changed.  60 minutes did an expose of Face Blindness.  

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57399118/face-blindness-when-everyone-is-a-stranger/?tag=contentMain;contentBody

Apparently, there are some people who have an issue so severe that they cannot recognize their colleagues, friends, or their own children!

Interesting Facts From The Report


People were shown photographs of movie stars and simply had no idea who Brad Pitt was.  Some people were shown pictures of their own children and did not recognize them.  These people used different cues about how to know who someone is.  They would base their reasoning on hair color and type, glasses, clothing etc...  But, if someone cut or colored their hair, it would be like a new person.

Strangely enough, people who had issues with faces had NO problems with pictures or scenery.  These people could recognize buildings, places, cars, anything else the way we all would - just not people.

When studying face blindness, they have found out that they way we process faces is much different from other things.  For example, if you look at words on a page upside down, most people can still read them or tell what they say.  This is similar to a picture of your house upside down.  However, when looking at faces, it becomes much more difficult.

These are some easy ones, but how long did it take to guess who they were compared with seeing the pictures right side up?  A split second more?

(For anyone like me - that is George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Rachael McAdams)

Coping with Face Blind

I generally pick up on features of people that do not have to do with their face.  Most frequently it is a hairstyle or color - sometimes glasses.  That is why, if I was shown the Kim Kardashian wedding photo above, I would know immediately who she was.  Even looking at the other picture, I can't be completely certain.  I must admit, even searching for a generic picture of her, I was nervous that I was pulling a picture of someone else that was mislabeled (oh, internet).

I think this is why I have more trouble with men.  Women usually have more distinguishing characteristics that are not their face.  Men's appearances are usually the same.  Why do I struggle more with white men?  In a lot of Hollywood movies, there are more white characters to differentiate between and fewer minorities.  (I obviously disagree with this being the norm, but it unfortunately is).

Super Recognizers

On the opposite side of face blind, there are people who remember every face they've ever seen!  People will remember every waiter, sales person, or encounter.  These super recognizers have issues too.  Frequently they can appear stalkerish.  "Do you remember me?  You were once walking with my friend to class seven years ago."  These people have to take cues from those around them.  If it's clear someone doesn't recognize them, they'd better not say anything at all.

The 60 minutes report showed one super recognizer who could identify EVERYONE!  She was shown pictures of people at different ages.  She was able to recognize Mike Wallace as a 6 year old!  These people say that faces don't really change over time - it's still the same face.  I'm jealous of that ability.

I obviously don't have a very severe case and I never have problems with people who I have met in real life (as opposed to actors on a screen).  Don't worry, friends.  If I didn't recognize you on the street, it's probably because I wasn't wearing my glasses.