One of the most basic elements of human relationships is the ability to recognize a familiar face. People will be happy to see the face of an old friend whom they might not have seen in years. But what happens when you don’t have the ability to recognize people?
About 2.5% of the human populationsuffers from “face blindness.” It means that they have trouble remembering familiar faces. Some people even struggle to recognize their own face in the mirror, or in photos.
For children with this condition, it can be difficult for them to make friends. When they do, they often make friends with kids who have very clear or special features. They may also have a hard time following the plots of movies, as they can’t recognize different characters. Therefore, they tend to watch cartoons.
As for adults, they might struggle with jobs in which recognizing faces is important. For example, how can you work in customer serviceif you can’t tell who is a regular customer and who is a new one? Interestingly, many adults who suffer from face blindness may not be aware that they are affected by the condition.
