What's your facial recognition like as you've got older?

Out in the street I do find a lot of people look similar due to their age, hairstyle and clothing. Men over 60 all look the same! Grey hair, baggy old trousers, pot belly. Younger women often look the same with their hairstyle and leggings.

I do have to see someone a few times before I register their features, but I'm okay after that. If I've only met them once then I have no chance of recognising them!

I've never been very good at this either. I can remember birthdays, telephone numbers (well not so much those these days as we don't need them so much), addresses, maiden names, middle names any little details I may have picked up, but I need to be told who the person is first before the rolodex in my head can be flicked round to the right page.

I have a theory that there is only a limited number of available features anyway and at our age we will rarely see someone who doesn't look like someone we've seen before.

Facial recognition was a real problem for me, I even used to walk past DH in town.
I have been accused of being anti social because I have not acknowledged people in the street but if a person is out of their usual environment then I don't recognise them.

I also have dealt with numerous people over my working life but they ve only dealt with me but it’s certainly embarrassing
Especially when one woman gave me her name and it still meant nothing to me and she said “I used to live next door” (about 30 years ago) I couldn’t even remember her name when she said it …….She obviously made a big impression on me ?

My facial recognition is shocking. Especially my own face. If I accidentally catch sight of myself in the mirror I have such a shock wondering who the old girl is staring back at me.

I am always amazed by those people who recognise people in the public eye, when they are out in public.

I could go to a cafe and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge could join me at my table and apart from a vague feeling that they looked familiar, I would be unlikely to recognise them. Yet the papers are full of stories of people who say they saw this,that, or another famous person when they were going about their normal business.

People do keep greeting me and I don't know who they are and one woman said we'd had coffee only last week.
She insisted my name was Linda (it's not) so I must have a long-lost twin around here.

sodapop

I find it difficult when people are out of context. I often don't recognise someone from the library if I meet them in the supermarket. I agree that mask wearing has made it so much worse.

Same here. Years ago someone got talking to me in a supermarket and I had to ask them why they knew me (it wasn't possible to blag my way through it). He was a friend of my neighbours who often chatted to me when he was visiting them. It always used to surprise me when people recognised me when I wasn’t wearing make up ( I don’t bother with make up now, but then againI don’t go anywhere).

I find it difficult when people are out of context. I often don't recognise someone from the library if I meet them in the supermarket. I agree that mask wearing has made it so much worse.

DiscoDancer1975 That makes 2 of us.

My problem in this is exacerbated as I have presented masses of training courses and talks to groups and organisations over the years. I have quite an informal presentation style and lots of people talk to me as though we're friends but I really don't know them. Mix that in with people I really do know but temporarily can't quite place and life can be pretty confusing. Two years of mask wearing and an incipient cataract don't help.

I don’t recognise people but remember their names, my DH is the opposite, recognises faces but can’t remember names. So if we are together we are sorted!

timetogo2016

I recognise people but as for their names,phew,

This is just like me!

I recognise people but as for their names,phew,

The same as it’s always been. Bloody awful!

It must be very difficult Bluebelle with cataracts, and then masks as well. My eyes are ok thank goodness.
Suppose we could hug a complete stranger if we're not careful. I'm dreading making a mistake.

I m 10 years older than you but yes I have a real problem not helped by cataracts but people I have not seen for many years seem to recognise me and I don’t have a clue and if they are wearing a mask I have to go by voices and even that doesn’t work sometimes