# Memory problems as I get older **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 12, 2023, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454 "2023-12-12T01:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/1 "2023-12-12T01:21:35Z")
Not just the typical forgetfulness that comes with getting older (I am 66), but also the trouble with _not_ forgetting, faces in particular. More and more every time I see a new face it reminds me of someone I have known before, and occasionally the memories of one with blend with the memories of the other. Has this happened with any of you? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/2 "2023-12-12T01:52:22Z")
I have blended memories. More of events than persons. But I’m nuts. What yer excuse?😊 ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/3 "2023-12-12T06:02:18Z")
Oh, hell yes! Absolutely everyone looks familiar to me nowadays. Part of this is because I spent a lot of years interacting with the public, but I think I just filled up my memory space. I started grouping them into types a long time ago (“that guy is short and square-built and has a loud voice - he’s a Steve!”). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/4 "2023-12-12T12:07:18Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > every time I see a new face it reminds me of someone I have known before Be careful. That could get you in trouble with your date if [your attractive waitress reminds you of a male soccer player](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-over-reacting-relationship-stuff/994430). ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/5 "2023-12-12T12:17:21Z")
I have a very good memory for faces so much so that, if I interacted with you for just 5 minutes 5 years ago, I would recognize you if I bumped into you. That being said, people with similar faces can elicit a “false positive”, meaning that the seemingly familiar face isn’t familiar at all. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/6 "2023-12-12T14:59:32Z")
I have considered a supplement Prevagen. The claims aren’t exaggerated. It’s not going to make your memory great again. It seems to lift the fog. Make it easier to concentrate. It’s not very expensive. I’m considering trying the recommend dosage for three months. Quit if it doesn’t help. > **[Prevagen Improves Memory - Regular Strength 10mg, 60 Capsules with...](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Prevagen-Improves-Memory-Regular-Strength-10mg-60-Capsules-with-Apoaequorin-Vitamin-D-Brain-Supplement-for-Better-Brain-Health/1128387166?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&sourceid=dsn_msft_f5172ff0-5d99-49c0-bc4a-033e6f4b9dd0&veh=dsn&wmlspartner=dsn_msft_f5172ff0-5d99-49c0-bc4a-033e6f4b9dd0&cn=FY24-HolidayCore-GATH-MPMax_cnv_dps_dsn_dis_msft_xcat_s_n&msclkid=4f64cecb86921f8fe7faabb3f28ad807)** > > Arrives by Fri, Dec 15 Buy Prevagen Improves Memory - Regular Strength 10mg, 60 Capsules with Apoaequorin & Vitamin D Brain Supplement for Better Brain Health at Walmart.com ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/7 "2023-12-12T16:12:54Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > I have a very good memory for faces so much so that, if I interacted with you for just 5 minutes 5 years ago, I would recognize you if I bumped into you. I am your polar opposite. I talked to someone at work on Friday, then ran into the person Saturday evening and had no idea who they were. I’m 65, but I’ve had this problem with faces for at least 30 years. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/8 "2023-12-12T16:21:20Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I am your polar opposite. I talked to someone at work on Friday, then ran into the person Saturday evening and had no idea who they were. If what I’ve read is true, Brad Pitt has the same condition. Google: > Prosopagnosia (also known as face blindness or facial agnosia) is a neurological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize faces. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/9 "2023-12-12T16:22:33Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > If what I’ve read is true, Brad Pitt has the same condition. Coincidentally, I’m often mistaken for Mr Pitt. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/10 "2023-12-12T16:23:17Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Coincidentally, I’m often mistaken for Mr Pitt. Really?! 😍 ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/11 "2023-12-12T16:33:22Z")
I have the same problem (not looking like Brad Pitt; failing to recognize faces), but I don’t know that it rises to a diagnosable level. I completely failed to recognize my neighbor, who I’d talked to extensively in the summer, when he put on a stocking cap. I was so taken aback by this stranger hailing me from across the street that I couldn’t even pretend that I’d recognized him, which is what I usually do. This is why I always try to be nice to strangers. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/12 "2023-12-12T16:43:45Z")
I often have to be introduced to someone several times before the name will stick. I’ve asked managers in my own company which firm they work for when they call my office and identify themselves only by their first name.On the other hand, I can hum the theme song to a French variety show that I watched while on a school exchange in 1985, but anyway… My dad is closing in on 80 and has been experiencing more and more dementia for the past several years. Considering _his_ dad also suffered badly from it, it’s a depressing foreshadowing of my own life in twenty-odd years. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/13 "2023-12-12T16:45:44Z")
I score low on facial recognition tests. That makes the problem the OP cites worse because people look like someone I know only in a few details. Side by side the two people might have some resemblance but in my mind they are identical, and it’s difficult not to be distracted by someone’s apparent doppelganger. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/14 "2023-12-12T16:46:38Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > > [@Jasmine](#): > > > > If what I’ve read is true, Brad Pitt has the same condition. > > Coincidentally, I’m often mistaken for Mr Pitt. A lot of people say Jeff Bridges looks like me. They’ve been saying that for years. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/15 "2023-12-12T18:04:40Z")
> [@veryfrank](#): > > I can hum the theme song to a French variety show that I watched while on a school exchange in 1985, but anyway… I think everyone should set their names to catchy music and sing them to me the first ten times we meet. That might do it! > [@TriPolar](#): > > Side by side the two people might have some resemblance but in my mind they are identical, and it’s difficult not to be distracted by someone’s apparent doppelganger. I just got back from physical therapy, where I realized to my dismay that there are **two** therapists with blue eyes and long blond hair. Luckily, I don’t remember anyone’s name, so I’m pretty confident I haven’t called them by the wrong ones. However, one of them has two kids and recently bought a house, while the other has no kids but is dedicated to her dogs. I’m _really_ hoping I haven’t referred to the one’s dogs when the other is talking about her kids. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/16 "2023-12-12T21:25:51Z")
If you start remembering things you never knew, that’s imagination.That’s usually regarded as a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/17 "2023-12-12T22:06:47Z")
May I borrow the thread to check out another weird memory thing - and this has happened to me in the last few years. In a conversation which turns to places - local towns, villages - someone might say, for example, “It’s near Bolney”. And I have absolutely no idea where Bolney is - can’t remember for the life of me I know Bolney. Been through it many times. Played cricket there, been to the pub, went to the vineyard shop last fall. But in that moment, I have lost all that information and I just can’t place it. Am I alone in this? (I’m almost afraid to ask.) j ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/18 "2023-12-12T22:24:14Z")
Don’t make me Pitt you. (The autocorrect kept trying to type _pity_, now that was funny😊) ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/19 "2023-12-12T22:33:34Z")
Might not be that - I’d almost certainly recognize a coworker I saw every day if I saw them Saturday night away from work. But I probably wouldn’t recognize someone I saw at work only occasionally - like someone who normally worked in a different office. What I’d really like to know is why I can remember some absolutely useless things - like the names , addresses and birthdays of a couple of 40+ year old boyfriends. but I can’t remember more memorable events from the same time period, like actually being at my HS graduation. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2023, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454/20 "2023-12-12T23:15:23Z")
I can think of several names I associate with someone else’s name for no particular reason but I can remember the association. My neighbor Alfred I associate with ALF. No rhyme or reason for that. And THEN, I’ll have to stop and think “What’s that aliens name from the TV show?” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-as-i-get-older/994454.md?page=2)