# Am I an extreme outlier because I remember people, faces, places, names from 20-30 years ago?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-an-extreme-outlier-because-i-remember-people-faces-places-names-from-20-30-years-ago/1007740>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Tags:** kamala-harris\
**Created:** [September 26, 2024, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-an-extreme-outlier-because-i-remember-people-faces-places-names-from-20-30-years-ago/1007740 "2024-09-26T07:35:22Z")\
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**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-an-extreme-outlier-because-i-remember-people-faces-places-names-from-20-30-years-ago/1007740/2 "2024-09-26T07:51:45Z")

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I remember names and faces of people who were important to me … I can visualize various teachers and classmates from high school even though I am 65. But temporary jobs that weren’t central to me? Naahhh.

I worked at a McDonald’s for a few months during my senior year of college, because I’d gotten a car and needed money for gas and insurance. It was just a way to get needed cash, nothing more.

I could tell you a little bit about the personality traits and physical appearance of the manager, the co-worker who was trying to outperform everyone because he wanted to become a manager, and a patron who came in every morning and ordered 3 hash browns and a large Diet Coke. But I don’t recall their names or much about how they looked. (Unsurprisingly, the patron was very overweight and had a grayish cast to his skin. And I think usually a bit of stubble, and grayish hair. But show me a bunch of photos of men with those characteristics but otherwise very different looking, and I wouldn’t have a clue which one was him.)

While I have a poor memory for faces (I’m definitely afflicted with mild prosopagnosia), I don’t _think_ my level of historical recollection is particularly an outlier.

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