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So, this might strike some people as odd. Maybe you'll be astonished that this is even possible. Rest assured though, it is all true. (Or maybe this is super common, I don't know. Somehow, I doubt it)
I have a problem. I am let's say, challenged, when it comes to recognizing people I met recently. I've had this since forever, and I just kinda dealt with it, but it happened again today and the frustration kind of motivated me to write this blog. Maybe someone can help me out.
So here's what happened -- I recently got a new job (SWEET), so obviously the first couple of days is meeting a ton of people, learning a bajillion things, and so on. Usually I do pretty well, but sometimes shit happens. So today, as I was heading home, I got into a conversation with a co-worker of mine. He knew my name, what I worked on, all the meetings I've been to, my weekend plans, and so on. By all accounts, you'd think he was my manager or at least someone in my immediate team. Here's the problem though: I had no idea who the hell he is. If I had to guess whether I met him before or not, I would have definitely said "no" before we started talking.
Now obviously, we have met before. I think I know who he is now, I'll have to double-check tomorrow morning. But if I'm right, he's in my immediate team, so it all makes sense. I definitely met and talked to him a fair amount earlier in the week -- we just didn't run into each other at all yesterday, and somehow that completely wiped his face from my memory. I mean completely.
This happens all the fucking time. Not to everyone, of course. But there's this period where I meet people, and I can have extensive, deep conversations with them.. and if I don't see them for a whole day, then the next time I see them, I honestly have no idea that we've met, I don't recognize their face at all, until I've "met" them about two or three times. Some people take it personally too, as if I forgot them on purpose.
I have no idea why this is. I've always just said "I'm bad with faces". I actually haven't realized how bad I was until I watched The Prestige for the first time. I was kinda distracted throughout, but still, I couldn't tell the difference between the two main magicians, since they were both clean-shaven and white -- even though they look nothing alike. Let me tell you, the movie makes a lot less sense when you think Angier and Borden are the same person. When I watched it the second time, I really focused on the faces and I see how different they are, and had no idea how I could have possibly confused them at all. I can definitely see the differences, it's just that I don't always notice them. You know?
Anyway it takes me a lot of mental power to really try and remember someone's face when I just met them, and it may not even work .. so what's up with that? Any tricks or something I can use?
 
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This is a reasonably well documented disorder called Prosopagnosia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopagnosia or "Face Blindness" maybe yours is not as severe, but there are certainly people who simply cannot recognize people even if they focus really hard and simply bluff their way through everything, hopefully knowing the name helps you find a resource for coping with it.
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I was about to diagnose you like the people above me just did. Will read through rest of the blog.
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Who is this "Shinbi" guy that goes around posting? He looks sort of like this one guy named JeeJee, but they can't possibly be the same person...
Sounds like a rough time, man. I suck with names, so I usually get by with remembering faces. I can't imagine not being able to remember either of them, and especially not to the extent of pseudo-amnesia. Hopefully, there's something you can do about this. 
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Australia8532 Posts
TL doctors help solve another case 
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On September 16 2011 10:49 Aeres wrote:Who is this "Shinbi" guy that goes around posting? He looks sort of like this one guy named JeeJee, but they can't possibly be the same person... Sounds like a rough time, man. I suck with names, so I usually get by with remembering faces. I can't imagine not being able to remember either of them, and especially not to the extent of pseudo-amnesia. Hopefully, there's something you can do able this.
Oh I can remember names just fine. I just can't link the name to the face I'm looking at, if I've only "met" the face a couple of times.
In fact I can remember a billion useless things without any trouble, but when it comes to something useful, like someone's face, I struggle. Go figure.
e: I'll take a look at that prosopagnosia thing, thanks. I mean, I manage to remember faces eventually.. just it takes me much longer than most. I mean, I've never had an in-depth conversation with someone, and then found out later that they have no idea who I am. On the other hand, I've had many a conversation with people who know me, but I don't have the faintest idea of who they are..
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WARNING. 5k post imminent!
Don't waste it on stupid shit like remembering coworkers!
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On September 16 2011 10:51 JeeJee wrote:Show nested quote +On September 16 2011 10:49 Aeres wrote:Who is this "Shinbi" guy that goes around posting? He looks sort of like this one guy named JeeJee, but they can't possibly be the same person... Sounds like a rough time, man. I suck with names, so I usually get by with remembering faces. I can't imagine not being able to remember either of them, and especially not to the extent of pseudo-amnesia. Hopefully, there's something you can do able this. Oh I can remember names just fine. I just can't link the name to the face I'm looking at, if I've only "met" the face a couple of times. In fact I can remember a billion useless things without any trouble, but when it comes to something useful, like someone's face, I struggle. Go figure. e: I'll take a look at that prosopagnosia thing. I mean, I manage to remember faces eventually.. just it takes me much longer than most. I mean, I've never talked to someone I know and found that they didn't remember me. On the other hand, I've had many a conversation with people who know a lot about me, but I don't have the faintest idea of who they are..
Get everyone to wear name tags. :p
I honestly have the opposite problem. I can remember faces fine, but I have a lot of trouble remembering people's names.
So, I'll see this person I've been introduced to, and talked a ton to, see them the next day, and just go "Hey! ...you". The worst thing was this guy in my physics class, who I talked to every class for about 4 months, but never knew his name. >.<
After the first couple times talking, it gets really awkward to ask.
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I heard trying to memorize distinct features of a person can help like if they have a mole on their nose or the shape of their eyes idunno I'm pretty bad with faces myself but nowhere near as severe as you.
I have a really hard time remembering things that happened 5 seconds ago because I just don't pay nowhere near the amount of attention I should be. People come up to me to have a conversation and when they ask for my input I'm always like "sorry can you say that again?" :S I don't know when this started because I had a really good memory and really good focus when I was younger
and save your 5kth post :D
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Think of people as pieces to a rubik's cube.
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Sounds like a mild/moderate case of prosopagnosia. I have it too, although slightly less severe. In practice I think I mostly recognize people from their voice, the way they talk or their characteristic facial expressions.
The other day I saw I girl on the bus I was almost sure I recognized from somewhere. Then I realized it was just that the way she talked reminded me of my cousin.
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Netherlands45349 Posts
Alright here is an easy way to learn how to distinguish asians
Males
Starcraft, korean, lots of it, assuming you watch it then you will learn this with some time. If you can distinguish the koreans then youl be able to distinguish beteween asians in general better.
Females
Kpop, female kpop, lots of it. Each girl group has multiple members, ranging from 2, to 9, with most groups having like 5-7, should you do this you will improve at a very fast pace. Look em up, bonus, pretty pictures and something to look at while ''studying''.
Once you are done and feel confident you test yourself(bear in mind this is a hard one)
The Korean girlgroup Rainbow
+ Show Spoiler +http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnAhnxmSNFw Now, after you have watched it , look at the following pictures. + Show Spoiler +![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/uycPv.jpg) LtoR, Na Eul, Jaekyung, Yoon Hye, Ji sook, Seungah, Woori, HyunYoung Got it?good + Show Spoiler +![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Te2Ts.jpg) Answer below + Show Spoiler +LtoR(upper row first), HyunYoung, Ji Sook, Na Eul, Seungah, Woori, Yoon Hye, Jaekyung
If you can recognize each one(and in their respective segment in the MV), you can succesfully recognize korean female faces and distinguish them, you are now a master at distinguishing female koreans(no seriously, Rainbow took me some time too)
Trust me, it works.
and if it doesn't, there are like 20 more girl groups which all have different members ranging from 2-9.
You will learn it in the end.
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it's funny i was just reading about prosopagnosia in my cog psych text book
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wow now I think I have mild prosopagnosia. Every time I meet someone, if I see them later, I will often have no idea who they are, even if we had a long conversation. It doesn't help that I'm also terrible with remember names AND matching names to faces. Even people I've known for some time I have trouble recognizing on occasion and I definitely rely on stuff like clothing and hairstyle rather than facial features, as wiki notes. I can't recognize them if they get a new jacket, for example.
For those familiar with this, does it work backwards too? That is, I think I recognize someone but it's actually someone quite different. I have that problem sometimes as well and would probably attribute it to clothing/hairstyle recognition rather than face.
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I'm the opposite. I can remember faces super dooper easy. But names...It's taken me 2 weeks to remember the name of the person who works on the desk next to mine at work ><. I once caught a bus with a girl for 2 years without knowing her name. I talked to her every day -_-
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Hey man, I have the same thing. If I've only met someone once or twice I'll never be able to recognise them, and if I see someone I don't know very well in a different context, like the lighting is different or something it's very hard for me to identify them. Movies are terrible for me, especially war movies where every fucking character is a grizzled looking white guy with short hair.
Over the years I've learned to spot easily memoriseable things about people, everything from scars to what shoes they usually wear. I'm generally better with guys because they tend to stick to one kind of look. With girls who change their appearance more than they change their underwear it can be a real nightmare sometimes.
I never really knew there was a name for the condition until one of the science podcasts I listen to did a couple of episodes on it. You might enjoy listening to them:
http://www.radiolab.org/2011/apr/01/about-face/
http://www.radiolab.org/2010/sep/20/letting-go/ (story about a girl who falls in love with a guy who has prosopagnosia, about 12:00 in)
There are a lot of people that have prosopagnosia really badly, like to the point where they don't even recognise their own family. It sounds like your version, like mine, is fairly mild since it isn't bad enough that you've had it diagnosed properly yet.
You can do a Face Blindness test here:
http://www.faceblind.org/facetests/ff/ff_intro.php
(basically you have famous faces with the hair removed and you have to identify them, obviously if you're not familiar with them it doesn't count)
Average is 85%, My score was 47%, let me know what you get I'd be genuinely interested to see what you and other TL ers get.
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Try getting your hands on Piracetam. No idea whats the drugs name is in Canada though.
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I had that problem, too, and partially still have, though it depends on how big the problem you have really is.
Remembering people is a skill that has to be trained like any other. If you are not used to meeting and having to remembering many people, you just won't but the more companies you work in and the more you have to do with people, the easier it will be for you to remember people.
It might simply be that you are not used to meeting lots of people or that it's really a medical disorder. For me it was simply that i didn't have a lot to do with other people and always had just a few people i was in contact with and maybe met 2-3 new people a year.
Also, it's quite common for new recruits to forget everyones name, so don't worry too much about it, just ask. The first few days can be very overwhelming, even if you are used to those and noone will think bad about it if you just ask things like
"Sorry, there were so many people i got introduced to and i haven't got the hang of it yet, whats your name again?" - "Oh, right. So you work department xyz?"
Was on both ends of that quite often and it's normal, which is one reason why i find it stupid that in my company it's common to lead the new guy through every office. Noone can remember anything from that anyways...
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On September 16 2011 15:17 JoFritzMD wrote:
I'm the opposite. I can remember faces super dooper easy. But names...It's taken me 2 weeks to remember the name of the person who works on the desk next to mine at work ><. I once caught a bus with a girl for 2 years without knowing her name. I talked to her every day -_-
The trick here with girls is to ask "i'm sorry, but what was your name again?", then when they respond with their first name, say "no, i remember your first name, I meant your last name".
:D
Now that I think about it though, I might have a case of Prosopagnosia. Like other people I tend to remember people once we start talking, because of their facial expressions and voice. Hmm, now I'm super paranoid.
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EPT
