I think I might have a form of face blindness but I can’t say for certain.
I have a HORRIBLE time remembering women’s faces. Men, as soon as I meet you, I got you, but not for women.
Example: It took me about 12 visits before I could cognitively register my therapists face. I would recognize her as soon as I saw her in or normal context but if I were to run into her on the street, I would be very hard pressed to recognize her.
Example 2: I recently ran into a women I used to LIVE WITH but I couldn’t tell if it was her. We had only been separated a year and her physical features had not changed. If I had been at her work, I would have definitely recognized her but because I didn’t expect her to be here, it was as if I was staring at a stranger. My friends were able to confirm it was here but I wasn’t sure.
Any thoughts on what something like this might be? Remember, it is gender specific. I do not have this problem with men.
Given that males tend to have stronger features than females, and this would tend to create a greater range of variation, this could account for some of the bias. (What you describe seems a bit extreme, though.)
Other-gender effect/bias is a thing, just as other-race effect (“they all look the same to me.”). #2 is a bit more than normal though. Did you two actually talk face to face?
We didn’t talk but our eyes met several times. Mostly cause i kept looking at her to see if it indeed was her.
Another example:
I met a girl in a bar a few weeks ago and we chatted for about 30 minutes. Last week, I was at the same bar, and we met again. In both situations I was sober and the lighting was good. She was also the only new person I met that night.
Now, i think she was intoxicated the first time so it explains why she didn’t remember.
While I was talking to her, it felt familiar but I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t until I left and started comparing the two conversations that I became more confident that it was indeed the same girl.
I first noticed this started happening about 9 months ago but it’s possible it was happening before that and I just never realized it. Now that I think about it, it started about a month before I began taking Wellbutrin. I didn’t think they were connected because I noticed it BEFORE I took the medication but, I suppose that incident could have been coincidental.
I have never heard of a gender specific prosopagnosia (face blindness) before, but if, as you seem to be saying in post #4, this is something that has come on lately, and you have not suffered from it all your life, I think you definitely ought to see a neurologist about it ASAP. Prosopagnosia is a symptom of a brain abnormality, and when it appears later in life, rather than being congenital, it indicates that the brain has been damaged in some way, perhaps by a small stroke or a tumor. Either way, things could get a lot worse if you don’t get proper treatment. You really ought to get it looked into. (It is also possible that they might discover that your depression - which I assume is what you are taking the Wellbutrin for - has a neurological basis.)
From your point of view, the odd gender specific nature of this might be a good thing, as it means you are scientifically interesting, which very likely means that the very best neurologists are likely to be interested in your case. What is more, even if your insurance will not cover the treatment, they might be willing to treat you anyway.
My theory: Women change outward appearance much more often.
I rely almost entirely on hair, clothing, voice, mannerisms, stature, gait, and similar external traits in order to recognize people. And above all, I rely on context (at work, at home, at the gym) in order to remember people.
When women go and change their hairstyle or sport a fancy new outfit, I will probably only recognize them if they are in the place I expect them to be, such as at their desk at work.
Men just don’t do these kinds of changes as often. I am definitely thrown off when a man shaves his beard or vice versa.
I have a weird form of this that only affects children. I drop my kids off at daycare every day and see the same kids in their class. I can identify all the girls, but the boys are just a rambunctious blur. I know the list of their names, but could maybe match only 1/4 of them with faces. And most of those are because I know ___ is “the Indian one” and ___ is “the Asian one,” etc. All the little Caucasian boys look alike to me.
I’m fantastic at remembering faces and names. No really, I am. Heck I even saw someone at Costco yesterday who I hadn’t seen in maybe 15 years and knew who he was instantly.
My issue is with sunglasses. I have a very difficult, if not impossible time recognizing people who are wearing sunglasses. I must use the eye portion of the face as a major recognition tool. And people who are wearing sunglasses usually are oblivious to the fact that their eyes are hidden from view, so it can be awkward meeting someone on the street who has a pair of sunglasses on and starts talking to me.
A previous poster indicated that I might want to see a neurologist as this could be related to depression which is why I was on the medication in the first place. If they WERE connected, it’d be a much needed relief.