I wonder anyone is like me, that when I first came here, I found most Whites have similar faces. It's kind of embarassing that sometimes when I'm working, I help a customer to look for size option in the stockroom while she's waiting in the shop floor, normally when I come back, I don't really remember which is the one that ask for my help (especially when there are lots customers)! I assumed this as usual (since we seldom see faces of different races ma), and thought that I'd get used to them soon and would be able to differenciate them well. But until recent, things like that still happen!! I've been here for 3 years.. That day when I came back from stockroom and wondered who that was, I asked my manager directly.. she and a colleague of mine kept laughing at me after that.. so did the customer, because she heard me asking.. >"<
Is there anyone out there that have similar situation??
Why would I talk about this suddenly..? Because one of the topic that I revised for exam PY313 (Cognitive neuropsychology) is about Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, which is a selective inability to recognize or differentiate among faces (something like that la, finished this paper I can't remember edy =P).
Then, when I was doing a bit research about it yesterday, I found that it's not just simply wide variation under this diagnosis, but there are mild cases in which, it may be affecting 10% of the population!!!! ok, you may not be able to realize this in general life, as most people are those that familiar to you, while there's no point of remembering strangers'. BUT, one common "symptom" is the inability to keep track the identity of characters in movies!!
KNS.. I really have this problem.. Still remember when I went to watch The Dark Knight (Batman 3) in cinema last year, I couldn't differenciate between the batman (of course when he was in his casual look la - Wayne) and Dent, until my friend told me that they have different hair colour.. so THROUGHTOUT THE MOVIE, I used their hair colour as the cue to differentiate who is who.... super zzzz right?!!?!
OK. Basically it's not a big problem (neither is it very disabling), as I can recognize familiar faces, no matter what ethnicity they are, really well. But.. I'm just trying to look for anyone like me.. please.. (well, if it's really 10%, then 1 of 10 of my blog readers should be like me right?)
6 comments:
hahaha, can't believe u have this kinda "disability". as for ur question bout the 1/10 thingy, let's have a little pol here. I'm perfectly normal at recognizing faces XD.
I also very poor in recognizing faces also lar...
I will forget someone appearance after sometimes, therefore I sometimes will go facebook or friendster to "memorise" someone look..haha.....
Not only that, I always forget someone's name as well......although i know remembering ppl name is something super basic and important...
I m a very terrible person hor?
i tot u exam so din cum....mana tau u blog everyday!!
loll i noe u hav dis prob...bt unfortunately im 1 of dos 90%..as ur fren say "perfectly normal!" =P
if its so common then u oso should nt feel sad lah rite..as long as u hav fren who can help u..haha like ur direction prob...XDD plus dis dont reali affect ur life..hehe
hows exam?
Noble,Ahhh.. "disability" =/
need to stress the "perfectly normal" like that? ahaha..
HsiangYek,Hmmm.. I think yours is memory problem rather than face blindness ley.. coz you said you can't remember mar.. my problem is that i can't differentiate =/
anyway, it's obviously not terrible!! (= not our fault being born to be like that ma right? at least we try to adapt to it. You still so hardworking go through FB to remember their faces.. ahaha..
CK,ahahaha yup!
after exam I may disappear! coz too busy playing viwawa and watching tvb XD
yes yes.. didnt really affect too much of my life.. just seeking whether there are more cases like this >"<
exam ar.. 1st paper should be ok la. the rest i really dont know.. not motivated to study =/
erm... i got the same problem while watching it... it's not until the middle of the movie that i finally could tell wayne from dent...
and yeah i think white people have this problem too... they always couldn't tell asians from each other...
Everybody sometimes forgets a face, but if you have prosopagnosia it's not a problem of "not wanting to know someone" "having a bad memory" or "not trying hard".
There are scientific studies done all over the world, maybe you can find out if there's one near you and ask if you can participate! I'm doing research in Europe, so that might be a bit far away...:)
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