Do you find it easy to remember faces or struggle with recognizing them? Your ability to recognize faces is actually linked to the quality of your close relationships rather than your personality type.
In a recent groundbreaking study published in the journal Cognition, a group of international researchers uncovered some surprising insights regarding facial recognition.
Contrary to common belief, one’s facial recognition skills are not tied to how outgoing or sociable they are. What the study revealed is that good facial recall is associated with the number of strong, close relationships individuals maintain.
Scientists from the University of South Australia (UniSA), University of Western Australia (UWA), Curtin University, Wellesley College, and Harvard Medical School conducted four separate studies involving over 3000 participants to explore the relationship between facial recognition, social networks, and personality traits.
During tests where subjects had to memorize new faces or identify celebrities, their performance correlated with the number of close relationships they had.
Lead researcher Dr. Laura Engfors, a psychologist from UniSA, noted, “Individuals who were better at recognizing faces tended to have larger supportive social circles, which is beneficial for their overall well-being and happiness.”
She further explained, “For instance, an increase from recognizing the lowest (two) to the highest (28) number of faces on a test aligned with gaining six additional close relationships, going from nine to 15. This represents a two-thirds increase, indicating one additional meaningful social connection for every four recognized famous faces.”
The research did not find any association between facial recognition skills and a more sociable personality.
“Our findings debunk the notion that being outgoing equates to excellent facial recognition skills. It also dispels the misconception that not recognizing someone implies being less sociable.
“Having better facial recognition abilities may facilitate quicker relationship development.
“Imagine having a stimulating conversation with a new acquaintance. When you meet them again weeks later, recognizing them swiftly can help you pick up where you left off in building rapport, aiding the relationship to progress.
“Conversely, failing to recognize them means missing an opportunity to nurture that initial interaction,” Dr. Engfors highlighted.
Co-author Dr. Linda Jeffery from Curtin University mentioned that being recognized by someone boosts self-esteem.
She explained, “Recognition can make us feel valued and significant, leading to warmer interactions, whereas being unrecognized after an initial meeting can feel discouraging.”
Co-author and Wellesley College psychologist Associate Professor Jeremy Wilmer hopes these findings will encourage the creation of stronger communities that foster human connections.
“Recognizing that not everyone finds it easy to remember people can aid us in supporting those around us in social settings,” Prof. Wilmer emphasized.
“Simple gestures like using name tags at community events or gently helping someone jog their memory when unsure can be immensely helpful in building connections.
Interested individuals can assess their celebrity face recognition skills on the researchers’ citizen science website TestMyBrain.org.
