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 face. New glasses, or a different hair style 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, as 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 psychologust also told me that people with prosopagnosia have trouble interpreting facial expressions. I normally find ‘live action movies’ disinteresting, as I find cartoons much more enjoyable. This is likely due to characters over emphasised facial expression and distinctive appearances.
The reason for writing this is to raise aware of this. I've learnt to live with this, and I have to continually practice self compassion when I am frustrated that I can't recognise someone.