Is anyone a super recogniser?

[TeethKicked]

I think that’s what they’re called. This fascinates me because I’m the complete opposite - I’ve been known to blank my own dc (unintentionally, just didn’t recognise them!)

If so, please can I ask:

1. How and when did you realise you had this ability?
2. What actually does it mean? Eg, does it mean you can see someone just once and then remember them when you see them again even if years have passed?
3. Can you/do you make use of your ability? Eg, work for the police?

Thank you :)

I used to be, but I'm not so good now I'm older. It used to be freaky, I remember aged 13 I didn't live in the UK, but went to visit some friends of my parents in Buckinghamshire. I saw some kids on the street nearby, literally just passing by. I came over to the UK aged 24 met one of those people in a bar in London, and told the bloke who I quite fancied I'd seen him before and did he live on X Road in X village in Buckinghamshire as a child. He did and was freaked out so I decided to not mention it much after that, but in my 40s now and I'm not so great at it.

Yes I have this skill, and have been involved in many research projects internationally to confirm it. I also score highly in gait analysis and fingerprint recognition tests , and have worked in the field. People who know me think it’s hilariously freaky, I’ve recognised people I went to school with in crowded airports, teachers from infant school 40 years on , etc etc.
It’s a strange skill to have because I never forget anyone , so people are always embarrassed if I know who they are and they have no clue who I am. I have to pretend to forget you if I meet you at a party and I recognise you from the time you served me in a shop in 1996 !
I want to make the point though that there are VERY FEW stand alone jobs for super recognisers. It’s NOT A THING regardless of what Mike Neville and the ‘super recognisers international’ team will have you believe. Most super recogniser roles are for people already within the police, or certified security guards manning large events, or border control staff. A freedom of information request a few years ago confirmed that not a single police force in the country employed ‘super recognisers’ from this organisation which has its own dubious training course and (extremely expensive) certification.
there are some German police forces (Munich I believe) who employ sr’s but they are from their own officers who have been tested because they have a noticeable talent. Not random people.
I’d say it’s a massive swizz that needs investigating and regulating. There are people out there paying 1000s for this certification, it’s bullshit.
and for the person that asked up thread, yes.. I do have good hand eye coordination too!

Thank you for that info @Welshwaynetta, so interesting.

At what point did you realise that there might be more to your ability than simply being good with faces?

That’s really interesting Waynetta. The gait thing also rings bells, my Dad pointed out that everyone walked slightly differently when I was tiny and I’ve been fascinated ever since. Especially how it’s common to see gait patterns/head tilts/shoulder movements in families, even if they aren’t direct relations (cousins/aunts/uncles/nieces are brilliant for this!). Amazing that people use this in their jobs!

And what are finger print recognition tests?! You don’t mean that you can remember finger print patterns? 😮

I'm the opposite. I have taken part in some
Scientific Research on difficulty in recognizing faces. It is common in autistic people, and I believe super recognizing abilities are too. I've now been referred for an autism assessment.

My mum was she never forgot a face.
I'm more the other way I wouldn't go as far as to say face blind but definitely something to that effect.

Similar situation. I can recognise people from primary school that I haven't seen in over 30 years and I'm quite good at remembering people in general. Bit if a long story but someone my sister got to know someone who said she was on my uni course and remembers me bit I have absolutely no recollection of this person at all. Feel a bit bad about it.

Great with faces....absolutely sh!t with names which makes for some very uncomfortable conversations at times!

I can remember phone numbers .... so read them once and recall them any time in the future
Faces I'll remember if I've seen them before but not necessarily when or where.

Yes, me. Someone had said they thought I was years ago, and the more I thought about it I wondered if they were right.

I took a test launched by a UK uni about it ans had an almost perfect score. I also looked into related careers for a while but doesn't seem to be much as pp mentioned.

It can cause embarrassment sometimes. I'll recognise someone I met years ago for 2 minutes and they'll get embarrassed because they can't place me. They're the normal ones!

Does anyone know what causes it?

Lots of studies have been/ continue with the university of Greenwich.
You can take an online test:

https://greenwichuniversity.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV1zikSlrqNLDeYeh?QQ_Language=ES&Source=Website

Yes I have a great memory for faces and places including names and extreme details. For me it's part of my autism although I tend to keep quiet about it as it freaks people out. It's v useful in my current job and was also in my previous career where photographic memory for faces or very detailed knowledge of a situation that most people would ignore would pay off exceptionally well.

@teethkicked i always had the ability. As a tiny child I had lots of ‘party tricks’ relating to photographic recollection of people and details about their clothing/ shade of lipstick/ sock colour etc! But I guess when I was a teen it became really noticeable it was out of the ordinary. For example I went on holiday with friends and I was certain one of the waiters in the pizza restaurant had been an extra in one of my favourite tv shows years before. He confirmed it and my friends were gobsmacked (as was he!) . Totally useless skill at that time but hilariously impressive for a gaggle of teenage girls .
And no, I don’t remember fingerprints! But fingerprint analysis is more about recognising complex and often obscured patterns when comparing a print found on a surface to an original. I think research has shown super recognisers are often good at this too. Gait analysis is often used when following a suspect in cctv images across different crowded areas , on several cameras when faces /clothing are blurred / distant/ dark. Fascinating really.

I didn't know this could be related to autism. I'd be interested to find out more.

I didn’t know this was a thing! I remember faces and every other detail. With a bit of effort, I could probably tell you what each member of my team (5 people) wore for work in the last few weeks. I remember hair colour, jewellery etc.

I realised it wasn’t entirely normal when I recognised a sales assistant at my corner shop as a waitress at a restaurant that had closed 15 years ago and I’d only been there once.

It’s funny though because it doesn’t translate into remembering other stuff. I’ve had to do some studying recently and some chapters I had to read 3x to remember just the basics.

I can remember faces and voices with great clarity. Then again when I think of something I have seen I see it in really great detail. My DS is the same, I don’t mention it because I never thought much of it but someone remarked DS had a photographic sort of a memory recently and I’m the same.

No I'm not that good at this. I'd always recognise people I know well, but other than that I'm not great. I remember being on a full tr course with about ten others. We sat round a table all day every day for a few weeks. I then saw one of them on a bus near where I live but several miles from the course and had to ask them where I knew them from when they said hallo. I've also previously mixed up mums on the school run more than once in the past and probably unintentionally blanked others I'd previously spoken to.

I’m the complete opposite too. Especially when people are out of context.
really disconcerting when someone came and spoke to me at a sports club and i genuinely didn’t know who she was. Eventually worked out I’d worked with her for years (although hadn’t seen her for 2ish years)

on the other hand I can remember conversations virtually word for word for years. This is often useful but people tend to think you are a weird sort of stalker!

I've got a brilliant memory for faces and song melodies, but absolutely hopeless at remembering song lyrics or jokes.

It’s completely fascinating to me how some of you can remember people you’ve only seen once! I’m forever doing that thing of talking to someone who apparently knows me, frantically wondering who on earth it is! One conversation I had years ago with a woman still sticks in my mind. I’d just had my 4th dc, and ran into her in the local leisure centre. The convo went like this:

Her: I heard you had the baby last week?
Me (desperately wondering who she was): Yes!
Her: You had a girl didn’t you?
Me: Yes (I didn’t, I had a boy, but too distracted trying to place friendly woman)
Her: What did you call her?
Me: William

Conversation ended soon after … :)

I’ve also done it with my dog! Someone sent me a picture yesterday of them holding a really sweet little dog. I replied saying what a lovely picture and what a cute dog - reply came back saying “um, that’s <your> dog!”

😂

Are you good with numbers/maths @Lalosalamanca (like your username!).

@Welshwaynetta thank you for your answers :)

Haha thank you 😊

I'm think perhaps I am quite good with numbers yes! I have aspergers and love finding patterns in things - Telephone numbers stay in my mind but I think it's because I translate them into a pattern that makes it easy for me to retain! I don't consciously do it it's automatic! Strange I know!