Date: 3 Dec 2010 08:37 am (UTC)
From: [personal profile] maire
I have excellent facial recognition in one way, but it's a bit quirky.

I know a woman who I met once at a party when she was 16 and I was 20. I next ran into her ten years later at a cafe. As per usual for me, I was completely sure of one thing: my opinion of her based on the last time we'd met.

No idea how I met her or what her name was, though. That's also usual for me.

Similarly, when I was 18, I remember meeting a guy from my primary school class. I hadn't seen him since we were 11. I knew at once that he was a nice guy and not that bright academically when it came to primary-school subjects. Not his name, though, despite having apparently been in a class with him from age 5 to 11.

I have real trouble with names. Often I can work out how I know people by using context clues in my opinion of them. If I think someone is very annoying in tutorials, for example, it's likely they were in one of my classes at university. Or if I think someone is an authority on editorial technique, then I've probably worked with them in publishing. Generally I can work from there.

I eventually tracked down how I knew the woman from the party by remembering that she'd really liked my boots and that I thought her clothing style was cool for a 16-year-old. That gave me the cue to recall that she was the party host's very young girlfriend (16 is legal in this country, but it's unusual for a 21-year-old to have a 16-year-old partner). I still had no idea about her name.

Many of my friends remember me spending the first few years of our friendships occasionally asking for reminders of their names.

***

You're certainly not alone with your particular recognition issue.

I have a friend who has a severe case of non-recognition-of-faces. If I see her in the street and greet her, I need to tell her who I am or drop clear cues into the conversation so she can recognise me. Yet I've known her for years, worked with her on an art exhibition, and am entirely sure, from her reactions, that she likes me. She's intelligent and articulate, but the little bit in my head that tells me what I think of people, and tells others what people's names are, just doesn't seem to be there at all.
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