trouble with recognizing people

[uneven]

I am new to exploring my Aspie side. I am wondering if this problem is autistic, or just my problem. I don't remember people from one setting to the next. Frequently, when I see someone that I "should know" my only thought is that they "look vaguely familiar" and a feeling tone--do I seem to like them or not like them. And that is it! I have had many, many embarrasing episodes of this. If the person isn't in their context (like a work colleague), I don't know who they are. Under stress, I will forget people even in context. Do other people have this problem?

 

[Rodafina]

I think you’ll find you are not alone!

https://www.autismforums.com/threads/facial-recognition.44327/#post-996917
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23412-prosopagnosia-face-blindness

 

[Bolletje]

Are you familiar with the concept of prosopagnosia, or “face blindness”?

 

[Stuttermabolur]

I think prosopagnosia is a bit more extreme, as generally you won't even find the faces familiar in any way, don't recognize your children by their face, etc., but I definitely relate to having difficulty remembering faces, especially when they are in an unfamiliar context.

 

[Aspychata]

Definitely had a problem at my last job where l couldn't tell some of the male customers apart from the next one if they had similar hair, height, face attributes. It was embarrassing. Lol

 

[Outdated]

You pretty much described me perfectly in this instance. I'm quite used to talking to people I don't know but who obviously know me.

I remember the faces of people I see all the time such as work colleagues but if I haven't seen someone for a few weeks they are a stranger to me. Because it's been so many years it's highly unlikely that I would recognise my own mother if I saw her.

 

[uneven]

You pretty much described me perfectly in this instance. I'm quite used to talking to people I don't know but who obviously know me.

I remember the faces of people I see all the time such as work colleagues but if I haven't seen someone for a few weeks they are a stranger to me. Because it's been so many years it's highly unlikely that I would recognise my own mother if I saw her.

totally! One time I was in the grocery store and this woman excitedly came over to me and addressed me by my professional title, thus making her someone from work. I didn't recognize her at all, and I just pretended. She was so happy to see me, asked all about how I was doing (I retired several years earlier). She introduced me to her kids! I was so bewildered, and she never once gave more clues about how we worked together or anything! It .was. horrible ! I don't think she noticed, though!!

 

[Aneka]

I am new to exploring my Aspie side. I am wondering if this problem is autistic, or just my problem. I don't remember people from one setting to the next. Frequently, when I see someone that I "should know" my only thought is that they "look vaguely familiar" and a feeling tone--do I seem to like them or not like them. And that is it! I have had many, many embarrasing episodes of this. If the person isn't in their context (like a work colleague), I don't know who they are. Under stress, I will forget people even in context. Do other people have this problem?

Prosopagnosia, face blindness. It is very common and can be inherited. You have trouble memorizing faces.

Welcome to the club

 

[vergil96]

I recently learnt about prosopagnosia and I was surprised that it's also mild prosopagnosia if you don't recognise people, but not your close ones or people you know well. I was very surprised that I have that milder form, because I recognise people by the way the move, walk, and their clothes and hair and other details, not the face. Or I can't follow the plot of films, because I don't know who is who.

https://www.faceblind.org.uk/diagnosis/quiz/
I marked almost every single thing in this test as true.

 

[Progster]

Yes, I have this problem, too. I most often recognise people by what car they drive, what coat they wear, or the location where I normally see them. Mild prosopagnosia.

 

[Boogs]

I am new to exploring my Aspie side. I am wondering if this problem is autistic, or just my problem. I don't remember people from one setting to the next. Frequently, when I see someone that I "should know" my only thought is that they "look vaguely familiar" and a feeling tone--do I seem to like them or not like them. And that is it! I have had many, many embarrasing episodes of this. If the person isn't in their context (like a work colleague), I don't know who they are. Under stress, I will forget people even in context. Do other people have this problem?

Most definitely not alone!
And interestingly, despite many different types, so many others have similar issues!
And boy does it effect you, especially when young and unable to understand it's even happening, just feeling a deep exclusion from everyone else.
As an adult, I learned how to talk to people as though I knew them, on seeing their sign of recognition, learning to find alternatives to using names, etc. But like most 'faked' responses, it never satisfies, just lets you try to hide in plain sight.
My own brain uses significant markers on people to recognise them, often something like an unusual hairstyle or similar, maybe a tattoo, and this can work well (it's not conscious, but I appreciate the mechanism), until they have a haircut, or wear long sleeves and cover that tattoo!

 

[Masked Man]

I do kind of have this issue but I think mine is not so much face blindness but it's that I don't tend to look at people at all. I do try now to make eye contact with people but it's hard, it's not something I'm used to doing.

 

[Boogs]

I recently learnt about prosopagnosia and I was surprised that it's also mild prosopagnosia if you don't recognise people, but not your close ones or people you know well. I was very surprised that I have that milder form, because I recognise people by the way the move, walk, and their clothes and hair and other details, not the face. Or I can't follow the plot of films, because I don't know who is who.

https://www.faceblind.org.uk/diagnosis/quiz/
I marked almost every single thing in this test as true.

Know nothing about it (not read up or anything) beyond my own symptoms, but sometimes in scientific notation, words like mild and strong, and many others, can have specific meanings within that specialised topic, for instance, they could be used to indicate values/results over a certain level, that may not be average or mean, or standard deviation etc. but rather a very scientifically specific and relevant value.
In addition, a lot of research into perception and related matters is very difficult to carry out because of the subjective data being worked with so much (i.e. reason why things like functional scans, and eeg's are so favoured, because they give more absolute feedback).
Sometime these 'markers' are more related to results that show, say, a marked deviation to prior values on the curve of a results plot, a sudden peak that means something in the research.
Maybe not the case here, but worth considering before labelling yourself?

 

[AndyFBlues]

I have that problem too. For years, I thought it was just me. It has created a few awkward moments.

 

[vergil96]

can have specific meanings within that specialised topic, for instance, they could be used to indicate values/results over a certain level, that may not be average or mean, or standard deviation etc.

Well, yes, in medicine, "mild" usually means that something doesn't semd you to the hospital or impair you in a very obvious way... not that it's mild in the common sesne or doesn't make life difficult and unpleasant.

There are also people who don't recognize even their close relatives and close friends, that would be the more severe form? Or have trouble feeling they look at a face frequently. (I sometimes feel this way like a face isn't a face, that it's no different than anything else, but it's not frequent, the "this is a face, this is a person" mechanism seems to not fire off)

In addition, a lot of research into perception and related matters is very difficult to carry out because of the subjective data being worked with so much (i.e. reason why things like functional scans, and eeg's are so favoured, because they give more absolute feedback).

Yes, obviously.

Maybe not the case here, but worth considering before labelling yourself?

I'm sorry, I failed to understand the context of this question. Personally, I would want to be as accurate as possible with medical or psychological descriptions and I wouldn't rely on common sense in describing that sort of things. I wouldn't also "label" myself as in, treat it as another psychological fun fact, not as something that determines who I am or that I think is especially disabling and I need to explain it to others or very unique - I get the impression that a lot of people have trouble recognizing others.

 

[MNAus]

I think it's worth considering that there can be issues at the point of memory formation. Quite a lot of people assume they have a bad memory in some way, but it's actually a problem with attention when forming the memory. That might be relevant with autism. Perhaps NTs are more attentive to faces - related to their higher interest and ability in navigating social language where facial expressions play a large role. That would suggest that it's not that ASD people have poor memory for faces, just that we have less reason to remember them.

There's a bunch of interesting studies related to faces. The Other Race Effect and Other Species Effect point to the ideas that children develop an archetype "typical" face through experience and then understands other faces as vectors from this. Before this is developed there is a certain capability to tell apart faces that adults would struggle to differentiate. Apes, for example. Vectors that are distant are far more difficult to discriminate. Perhaps we ASD people have a less well defined archetype due to less attention paid (due to lowered interests), or perhaps we have less ability to differentiate (for the same reason).

 

[vergil96]

That would suggest that it's not that ASD people have poor memory for faces, just that we have less reason to remember them.

Or if you struggle to maintain eye contact (personally, I often can't focus on the conersation or hear properly if I look at the other person and maintain eye contact), there isn't as much exposure, you just remember what you looked at and it happens to be everything but the face.

 

[Jumpinbare]

I need context to recognize most people. I have met coworkers in Walmart and they knew me, but I didn't have a clue. I just faked it and acted like I knew who I was talking to. Once I did the opposite and thought I recognized a friend standing in line at a movie theater. I lightly kicked him in the posterior and said "Hey stranger!" Turned out to be a stranger. Awkward.

 

[uneven]

I need context to recognize most people. I have met coworkers in Walmart and they knew me, but I didn't have a clue. I just faked it and acted like I knew who I was talking to. Once I did the opposite and thought I recognized a friend standing in line at a movie theater. I lightly kicked him in the posterior and said "Hey stranger!" Turned out to be a stranger. Awkward.

I totally relate! I get embarrassed over and over and over. I few years ago I decided to basically never use names to call to someone or refer to someone unless I was absolutely sure. Even then, under stress, I will misidentify. I do not recognize that I have misidentified until the person reacts, so it's not like saying the wrong word and quickly correcting. (please pass the salt! no, I meant the pepper, sorry.)

 

[RemyZee]

I understand this and have had a tough time remembering faces since I can remember
I don't exactly know the cause, but I know especially when in groups or just more than one person it can be very disorienting, almost like all the faces squish together and I can't figure out which one belongs to who. Also, it seems like I remember voices better than faces, and things among people go by very quickly so it's difficult to leave a conversation remembering a face that goes with it. Along with social anxiety. All of these things happening at once and whamo, I've spoken to someone (or more likely they've spoken to me), but I won't remember what they look like afterwards. Once, I didn't recognize my work supervisor when I saw her out of context. This woman comes up to me and is talk talking and I had no idea who she was! Errrrg.