Have Trouble recognizing People's Faces?

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Sorry to hear that hope you feel better.

On TV, you can stare and memorize a face without offending anyone.
and in real life, I expect to meet certain people in a certain place or context
Don't always recognize them in a different place or context, at least as quickly.

I dont have food poisoning. The food theres just bad. The food at the Pheonix ones ok.

I have been so embarrassed about this! I did not even remember my midwife who delivered 4 of my kids! I spent alot of time with her. I ran into her at an organic farm market and talked to her for half an hour. I knew she was connected with the midwife and I thought she was an assistant! She was very gracious and didn't seem too surprised. This was really bad because I asked her how "****" was doing and she said, "I am ****!"

Another time I was taking my daughter to an after-school function and as I was driving up, this kid was staring at me and waved and I thought, "What in the heck is that kid doing. I don't know him!" I ran into the school with my daughter and on the way out this kid comes running up to me and starts talking to me and I realized it wasn't a kid but still couldn't figure out who he was! He mentioned my son and then I knew it was my son's teacher with whom I'd had several conferences with and had just talked to two days prior! I still didn't visually recognize him though, only mentally. His hair seemed more brown and dark; and his skin, too light. This difference in shading really confused me.
I felt like an idiot but managed to make it appear as if I knew who he was all along. (The reason I'd assumed he was a kid was because he is rather young and short and was standing in a group of kids) Talk about embarrassing!

Wow Bland - another home birth mom! I had 3 out of 4 of mine at home with midwives! I guess it was one time when having a high pain threshold paid off. (that's a whole 'nother thread - the high pain threshold is a blessing and a curse. Hard to know when something really IS bad and when to go to a doctor or get help)

I feel your pain about not recognizing those people - dang it has happened to me as well and is SO embarrassing. You just cover as quickly as you can and hope it passes. I have found that people get so insulted if you don't remember them. It really hits their ego, like they're not special and so forgettable or something.

Little do they know it really is not them, it's us.

:> earthmom

You're right, Earthmom. The fact that I don't remember some one has nothing to do with how high a value I place on them. I worry about what kind of adverse effect this is going to have when I am a teacher. (currently in college) I have seen kids approach their kindergarten teacher as a teen and say, "Remember me, Mr. Smith?" and nine times out of ten the teacher will remember their name and the fact that they also had their brother etc. I don't want the kids to think that I don't care about them, but I'm sure I'll forget who they are over time! (possibly from day to day! "Are you sure you're in my class? Oh, yes. Here's your name on the attendance chart from yesterday!")

I think the main problem for me is that too many people look alike.

I see people wo "might be" someone. It's only really people that I've seen alot of before or know really well that I am 100% sure it's the same person.

It is very embarrassing for me but I do have this problem. I forget faces right after talking to their owners. I don't remember their haircut, clothes, anything. If am in a queue and have to leave for a moment, I try to remember some detail of a person standing before me like a blue scarf, otherwise I would never recognise them. Although rarely I remember faces very well after one glance (not necessarily celebrities).
When I was little somebody said they have seen my dad and I asked them how did he look like. They replied my dad had a beard. I said that couldn't be my dad. I came home, looked at dad and realised he always had a beard. I felt strange...

I have absolutely NO prosopagnosia whatsoever.

I gotta meet people 4-6 times before i learn their name or their face.

Oh, and that too... I forget names.

If I know someone well and have seen/have met them often before, I'll usually recognise them. I'm more likely to recognise someone I don't know well by their clothing, build, voice and mannerisms than their face. Of course, if they have any features that are 'unusual' I'll click-on to who they are quicker.

Hmmm... Yeah, I remember faces of people I know if I meet them sometimes but I guess I forget new people easier than others.

That so funny -- this is my husband and I to a T, we're always trying to top each other (I'm a bit better.) And neither of us can recognize people in real life at all. I don't think I ever thought about how contradictory that is.

My son was just telling me that he identifies his classmates by their clothes, or backpack or where they sit.

My bane is names, not faces. I do not forget faces or voices. But namex??? Awful!! !.

I have to have my wife with me a lot. She is very good with names.

ruveyn

I have this problem, too, but I seem to have it with actors/actresses, too -- IF they look alike.

For example, when I first started my current job, it took me about 2 weeks to be able to tell two of the men apart. Their faces were pretty similar, but they were about the same height, build, same hair color and eye color.

The weird thing about actors, is that I often recognize a voice before a face unless it is very distinct.

I can't recognize Natalie Portman although I've seen her pictures a lot. Just can't remember her. Dunno why...