Legendary primatologist Jane Goodall, actor Brad Pitt, and the late British neurologist Oliver Sacks have something in common – a condition called prosopagnosia, or face blindness. This neurological disorder causes individuals to struggle with remembering and recognizing familiar or famous faces. It may be more common than previously thought.
Prosopagnosia is not related to visual acuity or contrasts in sensitivity. People with the condition have difficulty remembering faces or distinguishing between them. According to Christopher M. Filley, a professor of neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the brain of individuals with prosopagnosia cannot process the elements of a face properly.
Previously believed to be rare, a study published in a 2023 issue of Cortex revealed that prosopagnosia exists on a continuum in terms of severity and symptoms, rather than being specific to certain individuals. Depending on the criteria used, the condition is estimated to affect between 1 to 5 percent of adults.
Individuals with severe prosopagnosia may not recognize their partner from a distance at the grocery store but can identify them in familiar contexts like waking up next to them or returning home from work. Joe DeGutis, a cognitive neuroscientist at the VA Boston Healthcare System, explains that those with face blindness may rely heavily on context to recognize familiar faces, leading to challenges in unexpected situations.