Scientists reveal why some people recognize faces better than others

Reported today on TheNextWeb

Scientists reveal why some people recognize faces better than others

Do you never forget a face? Are you one of those people who can spot the same nameless extras across different TV programs and adverts? Are you the family member always called on to identify or match faces in old photographs? If so, you may be a "super-recognizer" – the term science uses to describe people with an exceptional ability to recognize faces.

Over the past decade, psychologists have established that our ability to recognize faces varies a lot – much like the ability to sing, for instance. While a small proportion of the population simply can't hold a note at all, and most are content to confine their very average efforts to the shower, at the top end there are outstanding singers, such as Adele.

Early birds get all the good stuff

Like a great price on TNW2020 tickets

GIMME

Researchers believe the same applies to facial-recognition ability. A small proportion of people struggle to recognize friends and family (a condition known as prosopagnosia), most people are "typical recognizers," and at the top, there is a small number of people who excel at recognizing faces – super-recognizers.

Face-off

Since 2009, researchers have been assessing super-reco