Prosopagnosia: Face Blindness and the Social Dilemma

Prosopagnosia is more than just being "bad with names." It is a neurological condition where the brain's ability to recognize faces is impaired.

I have a lot of trouble recognising people, especially if they change some aspect of their appearance. New glasses or a different hairstyle often means I no longer recognise someone, even if I've known them for a long time.

For me, watching a live-action movie is very challenging. I cannot recognise characters from scene to scene if they appear different. My wife makes fun of me; we were watching a movie and I asked, "Who is that?" and it was the protagonist, but they were wearing a hat. Now she frequently says, "They aren't wearing a hat," when I ask who someone is.

A psychologist also told me that people with prosopagnosia have trouble interpreting facial expressions. I normally find live-action movies uninteresting, as I find cartoons and animations much more enjoyable. This is likely due to characters having over-emphasised facial expressions and highly distinctive appearances.

The reason for writing this is to raise awareness of this condition. I've learnt to live with it, and I have to continually practice self-compassion when I am frustrated that I can't recognise someone.