If you have trouble recognizing people by their faces, you're not alone. A recent study published in the journal Cortex reveals that prosopagnosia, commonly known as face blindness, may be more prevalent than previously believed. This neurological disorder, which affects the ability to recognize and remember faces, is estimated to affect 1-5% of adults.
A new article in National Geographic explores the spectrum of face blindness, its potential causes, and its impact on daily life.
Takeaways:
Notable figures: Several famous people like Jane Goodall, Brad Pitt, and the late Oliver Sacks have prosopagnosia.
Spectrum of severity: Face blindness exists on a spectrum. Some people may have a little difficulty recognizing faces, while others struggle a lot.
Potential link to autism: Research has found that up to half of people with autism have trouble recognizing faces. However, at NatGeo points out, "It may be at least partly because those with autism often avoid making eye contact with people."
Different facial processing strategies: People with face blindness tend to focus on different parts of the face, such as the mouth area, compared to those without the condition or "super-recognizers" who excel at recognizing faces and "focus more on the nose and the central area of the face, which is connected to better face recognition."
Link to long COVID: Some individuals with long COVID have experienced difficulties recognizing faces, suggesting a potential connection between the virus and this neurological condition.
Oxytocin treatment: Some people with prosopagnosia "experienced temporary improvements in face-processing and facial-recognition abilities" after using a single dose of oxytocin nasal spray.
Previously:
• Oliver Sacks on face blindness
