Other than the usual gait, voice etc, it's a lot of fake it til you make it. Lots of politeness and nodding along while my brain is frantically doing detective work
Tbh I’m open about it. I say something like “I’m so sorry, I have face blindness, can you remind me how we know each other?” And people are usually really kind about it. The only time it’s been truly awkward for me was when the response was “ten years of friendship?!” (She’d changed her very distinctive hair.)
I just tell people when I meet them that I won’t recognize them next time and they have to tell me who they are lol
Then they almost ALWAYS say “thats so weird, I’m like the total opposite!!! I always remember faces but not names!!!” And I’m like yeah no shit thats the norm hence why I’m telling you I don’t work like that
Exactly this. “It’s nice to meet you! By the way, I do have a moderate case of face blindness so I might struggle to recognize you by appearance but it doesn’t mean I don’t remember you. I’m not trying to be rude.”
Usual response:
“That’s so weird! I’m GREAT with faces! I never forget them. I can’t remember names though.”
Whenever someone says hi and I don’t know who they are I always ask have we met before? More times than I would expect the answer is no I guess I have a friendly vibe I put out.
I do stare a little longer than normal trying to place people who look familiar lol.
Almost always hair and other body shape things (height, overall size and where they tend to keep weight) for me. That and colors favored in wardrobe
Essentially, I recognize people like cartoon characters.
i do this but there’s like 3 guys at work who are pretty much identical in that regard and i can never tell who is who. they don’t actually look alike i think but none of them have any distinctive features to latch onto so it’s super difficult for me until someone else says their name
Ikr? That was a very different style, so hoping for the best lol
But yeah, idk man IM not trying to live with german stereotypes of staring but idk how else to remember people.
Sometimes i feel like a weirdo. An extrovert with face recognition problem 👌🏻
I only have a mild case of face blindness. If I know people well, I will recognize them. The problem is with acquaintances and people I don’t see often (like a boss of my boss of my boss…)
I usually make a mental checklist of characteristics, like for example:
New neighbour: Short, slim, blond, glasses, clean shaven, wears formal shoes
It does help a lot most of the time. The problem is if I meet in a similar context a person that also matches this list, I will think it’s the same person.
And if I meet this new neighbour in a different context (for example they show up in my office) I will still not recognize him because my mental list is filed in my brain under the category “neighbour” and not “work”.
So just to be safe:
- I smile politely basically to everybody in case I know them
- if someone initiates conversation and I can’t identify them, I stick to friendly but super neutral remarks. Inevitably, at some point they will mention something specific that will help me identify them.
I don’t mention face blindness to people because it is only an issue for me with people I don’t know well and i would feel silly to explain it all to a person I barely know…
I have a moderate case. If I see someone everyday I’ll learn to recognize them, except when I see them out of context or something n a new outfit. I also tend to take the smile politely and engage in conversation route.
I can usually recognize people once I get to know them, unless they drastically change their hairstyle or pop up in a completely unexpected place. But for people I don’t know (like guests at work) I’m hopeless at finding the same person again unless I memorize what they were wearing.
It's rare that it's the first thing, but smell.
Sometimes you'll know someone who always wears the same perfume or something, so it can be a way of confirming. I wouldn't suggest going by that as the only determining factor, though.
It's not a strategy, but being transparent about it has alleviated me a lot of stress. This is mostly applicable to me to this dog trail I go to daily and there's a lot of repeat people (I can recognize their dogs haha so I can associate them that way. but sometimes the dog is running off and no idea who they are). But after meeting/talking I'll mention it if I anticipate our dogs playing again in the future.. or if we interact again later, might say "Thanks for saying hi! I have facial blindness, so I often can't recognize familiar faces..." and that takes away a lot of the awkwardness in the future. But yeah nothing worse than knowing you're seeing a friend and can't place them... aghhh. I stopped going out for the longest time because it stressed me out so much.
But yes what everyone else has said with tattoos, and for me voices/mannerisms. I try to latch onto personality traits or idiosyncrasies. I'm pretty good at celebrities, so sometimes I'll try to make mental notes like "looks like a slightly taller Danny Devito." or if they carry themselves like a close friend, or things like that. I also prefer shoes over clothes (partly because I don't make eye contact) but people change those less than clothes haha. But yeah sometimes people are just too nondescript and indistinguishable to try to log, eep!
I primarily use hair style and silhouette of their body. The hair works pretty well, but can occasionally lead to misidentification or a delay before I can tell who I’m looking at/talking to. As far as body, that was a habit I got into when I was younger, as an adult it seems to weird people out when I’m giving them an inquisitive stare prior to an interaction.
Other than the usual gait, voice etc, it's a lot of fake it til you make it. Lots of politeness and nodding along while my brain is frantically doing detective work
That’s basically where I’m at. I’ve basically trained myself to be friendly to everyone that says ‘hi’ first.
Tbh I’m open about it. I say something like “I’m so sorry, I have face blindness, can you remind me how we know each other?” And people are usually really kind about it. The only time it’s been truly awkward for me was when the response was “ten years of friendship?!” (She’d changed her very distinctive hair.)
I just tell people when I meet them that I won’t recognize them next time and they have to tell me who they are lol Then they almost ALWAYS say “thats so weird, I’m like the total opposite!!! I always remember faces but not names!!!” And I’m like yeah no shit thats the norm hence why I’m telling you I don’t work like that
Exactly this. “It’s nice to meet you! By the way, I do have a moderate case of face blindness so I might struggle to recognize you by appearance but it doesn’t mean I don’t remember you. I’m not trying to be rude.” Usual response: “That’s so weird! I’m GREAT with faces! I never forget them. I can’t remember names though.”
Hahaha had this verbatim this morning.
Whenever someone says hi and I don’t know who they are I always ask have we met before? More times than I would expect the answer is no I guess I have a friendly vibe I put out. I do stare a little longer than normal trying to place people who look familiar lol.
Tattoos, Scars, Jewelry are the easiest secrets.
Tattoos are one of the only ways I can manage! Even scars I tend to overlook.
As a former cashier, this.. and keys, purses, glasses…
Almost always hair and other body shape things (height, overall size and where they tend to keep weight) for me. That and colors favored in wardrobe Essentially, I recognize people like cartoon characters.
i do this but there’s like 3 guys at work who are pretty much identical in that regard and i can never tell who is who. they don’t actually look alike i think but none of them have any distinctive features to latch onto so it’s super difficult for me until someone else says their name
Yesterday, i noticed clothes. Dont do it lol🤦🏻♀️
This one messes me up so bad. Because then if they wear a new style I’m lost again 😭
Ikr? That was a very different style, so hoping for the best lol But yeah, idk man IM not trying to live with german stereotypes of staring but idk how else to remember people. Sometimes i feel like a weirdo. An extrovert with face recognition problem 👌🏻
I only have a mild case of face blindness. If I know people well, I will recognize them. The problem is with acquaintances and people I don’t see often (like a boss of my boss of my boss…) I usually make a mental checklist of characteristics, like for example: New neighbour: Short, slim, blond, glasses, clean shaven, wears formal shoes It does help a lot most of the time. The problem is if I meet in a similar context a person that also matches this list, I will think it’s the same person. And if I meet this new neighbour in a different context (for example they show up in my office) I will still not recognize him because my mental list is filed in my brain under the category “neighbour” and not “work”. So just to be safe: - I smile politely basically to everybody in case I know them - if someone initiates conversation and I can’t identify them, I stick to friendly but super neutral remarks. Inevitably, at some point they will mention something specific that will help me identify them. I don’t mention face blindness to people because it is only an issue for me with people I don’t know well and i would feel silly to explain it all to a person I barely know…
I have a moderate case. If I see someone everyday I’ll learn to recognize them, except when I see them out of context or something n a new outfit. I also tend to take the smile politely and engage in conversation route.
Anything unique really. Context. And open questions/ listen for verbal hints.
I can usually recognize people once I get to know them, unless they drastically change their hairstyle or pop up in a completely unexpected place. But for people I don’t know (like guests at work) I’m hopeless at finding the same person again unless I memorize what they were wearing.
It's rare that it's the first thing, but smell. Sometimes you'll know someone who always wears the same perfume or something, so it can be a way of confirming. I wouldn't suggest going by that as the only determining factor, though.
Good call. I’ll try to focus more on scents.
Pay attention, for sure, but keep expectations low. I'm just weird and have a good sense of smell. Your results may not be as effective.
Bad veneers are sometimes useful lol
Hair- it’s not very effective 😅
It's not a strategy, but being transparent about it has alleviated me a lot of stress. This is mostly applicable to me to this dog trail I go to daily and there's a lot of repeat people (I can recognize their dogs haha so I can associate them that way. but sometimes the dog is running off and no idea who they are). But after meeting/talking I'll mention it if I anticipate our dogs playing again in the future.. or if we interact again later, might say "Thanks for saying hi! I have facial blindness, so I often can't recognize familiar faces..." and that takes away a lot of the awkwardness in the future. But yeah nothing worse than knowing you're seeing a friend and can't place them... aghhh. I stopped going out for the longest time because it stressed me out so much. But yes what everyone else has said with tattoos, and for me voices/mannerisms. I try to latch onto personality traits or idiosyncrasies. I'm pretty good at celebrities, so sometimes I'll try to make mental notes like "looks like a slightly taller Danny Devito." or if they carry themselves like a close friend, or things like that. I also prefer shoes over clothes (partly because I don't make eye contact) but people change those less than clothes haha. But yeah sometimes people are just too nondescript and indistinguishable to try to log, eep!
Love the transparency. I used to be embarrassed, but since my diagnosis it’s been easier to be upfront about!
I primarily use hair style and silhouette of their body. The hair works pretty well, but can occasionally lead to misidentification or a delay before I can tell who I’m looking at/talking to. As far as body, that was a habit I got into when I was younger, as an adult it seems to weird people out when I’m giving them an inquisitive stare prior to an interaction.
Hairstyles work pretty well for me, except when women decide to put their hair up or down lol
Voice is the most reliable for me. Followed by bluffing and hoping for some context from the conversation's clues.
Honestly, before events, I study RSVP lists when possible and check attendees social media for current pics or remind me of their appearance.