The man stood in my department. He didn't come up to me, he didn't interrupt me, or ask for help. I'd been a bit swamped that day, and only just now was able to look at him. He just stood there, patiently waiting for...what? What was he waiting for? I was supposed to leave in a few minutes, why was he just standing there?
After a few moments, the penny dropped. It was my husband, and he'd come to pick me up from work.
If you've ever had an experience where you didn't recognize someone you should, you'll recognize the feeling that people with prosopagnosia (face blindness) have every day. If you have had that experience on a frequent basis, you probably have prosopagnosia yourself.
What you may not know is how many other aspects of your life are affected by this condition, and some helpful techniques to make life easier. Hey, who doesn't want life to be easier?
Some people think they don't have prosopagnosia because they can recognize people, but it takes a few minutes. Or they can recognize them until the person gets a haircut. Or they don't have trouble recognizing people, but everyone tends to look familiar.
Face Blindness means that you can't instantly or unconsciously recognize (some/most/all) people. That you may be able to recognize them, but it's a conscious act, where you sort through possibilities and figure out, no, no, no, yes!Contents at a Glance
Face Blind Links
Internet web sites, LiveJournal communities, blogs and...
- Face Blindness and Stones
- Have you ever tried to explain face blindness to someone? This website gives neurotypical people a view into what living with face blindness is like. My favorite site!
- Face Blind Live Journal Community
- A LiveJournal community for people with prosopagnosia.
- They all look the same to me
- Times article about prosopagnosia.
- FaceBlind
- The official home of the Harvard University Prosopagnosia Research Center
- Face Blind!
- The world's first html book about face blindness (prosopagnosia), the inability to tell people apart.
- BBC News | HEALTH | The man who can't recognise faces
- Lincoln Holmes can see perfectly well - but he cannot recognise his own face.
- Prosopagnosia; My Favorite Word
- PROSOPAGNOSIA
An introduction to and FAQ about a most peculiar condition. - Asperger/Autism: On The Same Page: Prosopagnosia Page
- Prosopagnosia may be found more commonly in people with autism or Asperger's Syndrome.
- The International Prosopagnosia Association Online
- We warmly invite those suffering from any severity of prosopagnosia to contact and register with us. The advantage of doing this is a greater understanding of the condition as we learn more about it and the opportunity of increasing our cooperation with those in the fields of psychology and medicine who are exploring the area.
- Prosopagnosia Information Page: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
- Prosopagnosia (face blindness) information page compiled by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Also has a link for any current studies they're aware of.
- A Way of Life: Face Blindness (Prosopagnosia)
- Prosopagnosia and Autism
- Prosopagnosia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Wikipedia entry on Prosopagnosia.
- New Scientist Breaking News - Face blindness runs in families
- Is there a genetic link to face blindness? I always thought mine was environmental, until I realized that my son is also face blind.
- Neurodiversity.com
- A site about the incredible neurodiversity in the human wiring. One of the best features of this site is the extensive links to other sites. This encourages a variety of viewpoints and outlooks.
- Misunderstood Minds
- A companion website to the PBS series "Misunderstood Minds". It's a very powerful website, with profiles of different kids, as well as excercises for neurotypical people to do, to gain an understanding of how it feels to live with this wiring. (Personally, I cried when I did the one for auditory processing dysfunction because I didn't realize what it was like for my son.)
Face Blind Relations
Other conditions that are commonly found in people with prosopagnosia
- autism/Asperger's Syndrome
- topographic agnosia (place blind) Do you get lost. A lot? Even in your home town? Even though you've lived there your entire life? Get a sinking feeling when people tell you "you can't miss it" because you know you will?
- central auditory processing disorder (yeah, it's not bad enough to have problems recognizing people, but there are a host of auditory disorders that you might have, too)
- Executive Function aka Executive Dysfunction. If you're chronically late, disorganized, bouncing checks, paying late fees, messy, or people are telling you that you're "not living up to your potential", you may have Executive Function problems.
Famous Faces
Famous people that have prosopagnosia.
- Jane Goodall
- Heather Sellers (author)
Related books
Books and helpful tools on Amazon
Tests
Tests and surveys
- Facial Recognition Test
- Here's an interesting on line "test" to see how long it takes you to recognize a famous person.
- Visual Memory Demonstrations
- Visual memory tests
People with Prosopagnosia
- Heather Sellers | The Official Website
- Heather Sellers has prosopagnosia
by Suzi
Face blind and the mother of a face blind child. We lead a fun life :)
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