What is your memory like for faces?

[ColinJ]

I have had some terrible lapses with people I have met on my forum rides...

I had one person chattering away to me as if he had known me for years. He finally noticed my look of bewilderment and asked if I remembered that we had talked for 2 hours on the same ride the year before!

In my defence, he had changed his forum name in that year, but even so... The stupid thing is that I thought I recognised his bike!

Even when I remember the faces, I usually forget names until I have met someone 5 or 6 times.

 

[oldwheels]

I remember faces but not names. Can be embarrassing if I have to introduce people. I find it best to be honest and admit I cannot remember their name.
When we had a wholesale business we kept a file of most of our customers with all sorts of minor details like golf handicap or cat’s name as well as marital status and partner’s name and interest, even down to car preference and any other hobbies.
It was once said that the best asset in the hospitality industry ( which we were not involved in) was a good memory.
A restaurant we used when we were at an annual major trade fair admitted that they kept a file on us and our business. We spent a lot of money in there over a week as we took some staff with us as a kind of bonus although they had to work a bit on our stand on the sales side.

 

[craigwend]

Mine is quite poor.
Mrs Ds amazes me.......as an example......
We went for a pub lunch today and a couple of similar age came and sat at the next table.
MrsD says to the lady "excuse me but did you used to work in the chip shop in Dudley Street"?
She did, it was her BUT it turned out that was 55 years ago.
How does she do that?

Something fishy going on?

 

[tom73]

I’m not too bad I have a a bit of photographic memory. Mrs 73 often gets the odd hello from past patients. Which can throw her a bit as she mostly use to seeing them in PJ or nighties or at times in the buff.

Due to our current line of work if we do see anyone we tend to let them say hello. So we don’t force them to have explain to others how they know us.

 

[MontyVeda]

terrible... even the people i currently work with, I mightn't recognise them if they're wearing civvies.

 

[Shearwater Missile]

I was always brilliant at remembering faces and names, must have inherited that from my mother. As I have got older face recognition is still pretty good but names........ ? It might come a long later. A few weeks ago in a local magazine there was a photo taken at the switching on of Christmas lights in Hadleigh, Suffolk in I think it was about 1964-65. Of all the people in that photo there was one lady who looked familiar albeit younger. Bit by bit I remembered her as a dinner lady at my primary school but could`nt remember her name. As I was waking a couple of days later her name sprang to my mind, Mrs Knights. I impressed myself ! I had`nt seen her since I left that school in 1970.

 

[Mrs M]

Not too bad at faces but names are often forgotten.
Usually have a very good memory for other things.
Mr M often asks me how do I remember that (usually rubbish)

 

[CharlesF]

I’m terrible with faces, and I meet lots of work colleagues from around the world. I’m always terrified to meet them again as I won’t remember them or their name.

If I know I’m to meet someone I should know, I’ll try and study their work photo, it sometimes works. I also now know to own up and apologise straight away. Learnt that when I took a chance and spoke at length about something “this” person should know, only to slowly realise “that” it was that person.

 

[Sharky]

At a recent funeral, I met some cousins that I hadn't seen for over 50 years. Didn't recognise them at all. But after chatting for a while, I could remember some of their facial expressions. If we had met in the street, I would have walked straight past them.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Brilliant, names...not so good

 

[GM]

I'm the worlds worse at recognising faces. I even walked straight past my wife in the supermarket once, I've got a better memory of lyrics from songs from the 60's than I have peoples names. Mrs GM is brilliant at recognising faces, I quiz her with an unusual picture of someone from the past and she always gets them right.

 

[Dirk]

I can remember Ronnie Wood, Kenney Jones, Ronnie Lane and Rod Stewart; but I'm hopeless on the others.

 

[Rocky]

I'm the worlds worse at recognising faces. I even walked straight past my wife in the supermarket once, I've got a better memory of lyrics from songs from the 60's than I have peoples names. Mrs GM is brilliant at recognising faces, I quiz her with an unusual picture of someone from the past and she always gets them right.

......I have it on good authority that you are good at recognising Brompton bikes. I bet you could describe mine!! I remember your green one with the black saddle that bends down at the front.

 

[Rocky]

I can remember Ronnie Wood, Kenney Jones, Ronnie Lane and Rod Stewart; but I'm hopeless on the others.

 

[GM]

......I have it on good authority that you are good at recognising Brompton bikes. I bet you could describe mine!! I remember your green one with the black saddle that bends down at the front.

Thought I was bad, I've got a black one! you're right with the saddle though.

Have you still got the Raw 6 speed titanium, with a brooks saddle? We'll have to have a ride round your local lanes when the weather gets better!