Who?

Jeff, Lloyd - what's the difference.

you probably already know, but face blindness is a thing, that varies in degrees all the way up to you literally don't know you're spouse of 20 years when they approach you.


I feel like I have some perverted form of it, because I recognize people, but in my head I can't really see what they look like. Like I couldn't describe my own mother to a sketch artist, but I instantly recognize her when I see her, but trying to picture her in my head it's just sort of a blurry blob

someone posted some face test a while back and I smoked it, which just felt super weird because I couldn't at all describe the face I just saw but then could pick it out of a lineup of very similar faces.

Name AND face?

You poor son of a *****.

*sons of bitches

yeah i've considered face blindness but worry about identifying with it since people would jump to conclusions about mental disability etc, wouldn't surprise me in the slightest, it's definitely hurt me in major ways in work, socially and dating as well - a lot of people just assume i'm blowing them off when i don't recognize them and then don't reach out as they feel offended

same with descriptions, for the life of me i couldn't describe someone, and i won't ever know your eye color unless you tell me what it is, it's not that i don't see it, it just doesn't connect as something my brain would store

super awkward where i need to describe someone i just interacted with and i'm unable to describe what they're wearing and maybe get a 50/50 accuracy on their hair color

always blows my mind when someone is like "oh you must know my husband he's wearing the blue bermuda shorts and is 5'11" and I'm like "dear god woman how do you know that kind of information on him?"

i'm fine with people i interact with up close regularly but would still struggle to describe them too

brains are weird, also discovered i was color blind by accident in junior high and only discovered synethesia is a somewhat rare thing and not how everybody interacts with the world, remember watching 60 minutes episode on it in my 30s? and thinking "wait other people don't visualize this stuff?" i was blown away but it also explained a lot of awkward moments growing up where i tried to explain something assuming they had same visualizations like i'd reference the month wheel that pops into my mind whenever discussing dates and would get weird looks

mine isn't like this at all, but weirdly at the same time i can't really describe it

mine not a uniform circle more like an amoeba shaped ring, december/jan always at the bottom, fall is darker but i couldn't tell you what color, hard to explain, like you don't see it, but you just know it's there and can feel it and just automatically think and reference it whenever dealing with time, if i were a religious man i'd view it as divinely inspired

and various numbers and letters and sometimes even words can take on subtle and subconscious vibes to them, i also instinctively create maps in my mind wherever i go and am always creating these images as an overlay onto things, i'm not actively thinking it, it's just there and can't turn it off, but as a result some geometric inspired muslim architecture is quite a treat to view as a result, like i'll be at the poker table and in the background my brain would just be repeatedly pointing out all the possible triangles, i'm not counting or anything like that, kind of like a screensaver

it's hard to explain especially since i just naturally assumed everyone else was the same way too, i don't think there's really any tangible benefits nor any problems caused, it sounds a bit crazy describing it but it doesn't exhaust any active thinking anymore than breathing/chewing etc, i think the closest i can describe it is the visualizations you get on acid but dialed down by 1 million

Well, I'm glad rick cleared that up.

i wouldn't have posted but your constant texts asking for clarity forced to me to do it

Pretty sure police sketches are 99% worthless. Most people are bad at describing people.

If I could change any one thing about myself, it would be to gain the ability to remember names. Of the six roommates I've had, I literally can't remember the names of two of them at all, and for another two I can only remember nicknames. For folks I just used to work with, or met at conferences, good effing luck.

In the mean time, if I see someone at a conference who I met at a previous one years ago, I can remember the entire context, what we talked about, where they live/work, etc. But I have no effing clue what their name is. I hate that and have tried various tricks to be better at it, but all to no avail.

heh, I feel like it would be a lot better for people to think that than you are just a jackass who doesn't like them. Even if most people havent heard of face blindness being a thing, I feel like it wouldn't be stigmatizing like if you had a mental health issue. I don't think people who have dyslexia are judged like people who have depression for example. But I guess I don't really know how the normal work world reacts to **** like dyslexia or whatever.


There was a big thing going around the internet not that long ago about how there are people who don't have a "minds eye" and are also people who don't have an inner monologue (and some who don't have either!), I think there was even a thread here from someone who didn't have that and didn't realize thats how most other people actually think. **** blew my mind. Brains are ****ing weird indeed.

I went to a seminar once. One of those that your employer forces you to go to for some new initiative nonsense. There are about 100 people stuffed in there. Coming into the room we were greeted by the instructor who introduced himself and directed us to have a seat.

It was a pretty interactive session but about 20 minutes in it became apparent that the guy leading the seminar knew everybody’s name. I don’t mean a lot of the names, I mean every single one. It was one of the great parkour tricks I’ve witnessed. Of course, everyone is intrigued and it starts to become a distraction. People are asking how do you do that? What’s the secret? Etc. He promises that at the end of the seminar he will reveal all.

We get to the end and he is wrapping up. The anticipation in the room is palpable. Everyone wants to know. It really was impressive. And then he leans in giving up the secret.

“I remember your name because I listened to you when you told me your name”

JFC, what a let down that was. I was as disappointed as one can be at the time.

I don’t know how long it was before I realized how profound and remarkable that ‘secret’ really was.

Anyway, the reason you don’t remember people’s names is because you don’t really listen to people when they tell you.

I don't remember names worth a damn either. I tried repeating the person's name back to them when introduced, e.g., "Bob? Nice to meet you." I thought at least making my brain process it that much could do something, but it didn't help at all. At that point I shrugged and accepted it.

Anyway, catching up on the thread this morning had me laughing hysterically at the post full of references to Jeff Bridges.

That is straight bullshit. I've not only listened very carefully, but made a habit of using it when I speak to them, made up word associations, etc. It hasn't helped much. Six months later I still won't remember their names, more often than not.

Sometimes it helps. Like there's this girl I dated for a short time whose name is Sabrina, and I can get there because I bought her a pair of earrings shaped like an S, so I know her name starts with an S. With that help, I can remember that I made some lame joke about Sabrina the Teenage Witch the day we met. But without those earrings, I'd be out of luck.

Meanwhile, there's another girl I dated for about the same length of time, about whom I could tell you reams of information, but none of which is her name.

One trick I've heard from a person who was really good with names and people in general: when you meet someone, make a point to repeat their name immediately and during the conversation.

"Hi Bob, it's really nice to meet you." instead of "Nice to meet you." "Wow, that's a good idea, Bob," instead of "That's a good idea" etc.

I've done that to the point where I sound like a 1980s time share salesman, and it works for a day or so, but if I go three days without interacting with them, the name is gone.

Pokeraz's claim just reminds me of the people who say "I'm good at math because I paid attention in class. If you suck at math, you just didn't pay attention." FU. Brains are indeed weird and don't all work the same way.

Oh man, I think picturing the first letter of their name doing or wearing something weird/shocking that sounds like their name is how people do that parlor trick. So like a 3-D F covered in blood for Fred instead of a 3-D F wearing a red sweater.

Yeah, it makes intuitive sense but it's not particularly effective.

was just about to post "in before garick says's he's not worst roomate ever

i make a habit of drawing a map of the office in my notebook and then adding in people's names and departments, it's been a life saver at times where I'm told "oh go ask joe he's got that paperwork" and I don't want to go over there and fake knowing who joe is despite having worked with this department before

once a colleague saw the map though, managed to play off creepy into absent minded professor type vibe but it was a running joke for a little while in the office - still better than creepy though

as you may guess, i've put immense effort towards solving this as i recognize it as a huge life leak and like him tried all those tricks and only ever get short term results, the minute i go a few days without interacting it's back to zero

i still repeat names for likability reasons though, dale carnegie was onto something

I bet this kid can remember names

I drew a map of the 12 or so houses closest to us with the names of the people living in each one. It's been three years now and I still can't remember the couple two houses down from us.

I did the whole repeat their name back when getting paired with randos at the golf course and it didn't work at all. I've taken to writing names/shirt colors on the scorecard

I have a note in my phone with my neighbours' names that I add to whenever someone introduces themselves to me, but sometimes by the time were done talking I've already forgotten and I have to try to track down their name online from their address. Don't remember any of the names of their kids.