What Is Face Blindness? Mask Use Might Be Making It Harder for You to Recognize People

You’re not alone if you just can’t recognize someone with their mask on.

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a new societal norm: seeing people don face masks in public places. While these safety precautions have proven effective in preventing and containing the spread of the virus, an unexpected issue has arisen – a phenomenon colloquially referred to as “face blindness.” Recent research, though not yet peer-reviewed, conducted by the Centre for Vision Research at York University in Toronto, suggests that people find it more challenging to recognize individuals wearing masks compared to those who are unmasked.

In their study, nearly 500 participants engaged in an adapted online version of the Cambridge Face Memory Test, a tool designed to measure human face perception abilities. These participants were asked to view unfamiliar faces and then attempt to recognize them under increasingly challenging conditions. However, a crucial twist was that half of the participants viewed faces with surgical-style masks covering their noses and mouths. The preliminary findings indicated that up to 13% of participants found it so arduous to identify masked faces that their performance resembled that of individuals with prosopagnosia, a condition characterized by face blindness. In contrast, without masks, only 3.5% of participants scored that low. Another preprint study from the University of Stirling in Scotland further corroborated these findings, demonstrating that people struggled to recognize faces even when masks were superimposed on familiar celebrities.

It’s important to note, however, that experiencing difficulty recognizing masked individuals does not necessarily equate to having face blindness. Nevertheless, it does offer a glimpse into the challenges faced by individuals with this disorder. To gain a deeper understanding of face blindness, let’s delve into this condition further.

Understanding Face Blindness

Face blindness, scientifically known as prosopagnosia, represents a neurological disorder characterized by an inability to recognize faces, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The severity of this condition varies among individuals. Some may struggle to recognize even familiar faces, including their own, while others may find it challenging to differentiate between unfamiliar faces. In severe cases, individuals with prosopagnosia might not be able to distinguish faces from inanimate objects.

Estimates suggest that approximately 2% of people, or 1 in 50, grapple with facial recognition difficulties that significantly impact their daily lives, as stated by Brad Duchaine, PhD, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth University. Face blindness is believed to result from abnormalities or impairments in specific brain regions, particularly the right fusiform gyrus, which plays a crucial role in facial perception and memory. Some individuals have face blindness from birth, while others develop it suddenly due to brain trauma, such as stroke, brain injuries, or certain neurodegenerative diseases. Importantly, it is not related to impaired vision, learning disabilities, or memory loss.

Though face blindness is not a typical symptom of autism spectrum disorder, it appears to be more prevalent in children with autism, possibly contributing to social development challenges. Face blindness can be personally and socially distressing, with extreme cases involving difficulty recognizing close family members or even their own faces in photos or mirrors. These individuals often struggle to follow movies and television shows, as facial recognition plays a vital role in understanding the characters and their emotions.

Diagnosis and Coping with Face Blindness

Formal diagnosis of face blindness involves tests assessing famous face recognition or face learning. Two commonly employed tests are the Benton Facial Recognition Test (BFRT) and Warrington Recognition Memory of Faces (RMF). Additionally, daily life indicators, such as difficulty recognizing close acquaintances, can be a strong sign of face blindness.

While there is no cure for face blindness, individuals affected by this condition can employ coping strategies to facilitate face recognition. Prosopagnosics often rely on alternative cues, such as noting the color and texture of a person’s hair, height, or the sound of their voice. They may also arrange meetings to minimize the need for face recognition, ensuring that others approach them in public spaces. In some cases, they candidly communicate their difficulty with faces to friends and acquaintances, enabling better understanding when they struggle to recognize someone in the future.

Face Coverings and Face Blindness

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, face coverings have become a common sight. While they can pose challenges for facial recognition, they may not affect individuals with face blindness as significantly as one might assume. Duchaine, who maintains the research website Faceblind.org, has encountered messages from prosopagnosics who appreciate the use of COVID-19 masks. For them, these masks level the playing field, as they do not impair their ability to recognize faces but hinder others’ ability to recognize each other. This unique perspective sheds light on the complex interplay between face coverings and facial recognition challenges.

In conclusion, the emergence of face masks as a pandemic necessity has inadvertently exposed a broader audience to the challenges faced by individuals with face blindness. While it is essential to recognize and accommodate these difficulties, it is equally crucial to understand that face blindness is a neurological condition with no current cure. With the right support and coping mechanisms, individuals with prosopagnosia can navigate a world where recognizing faces, masked or not, remains an ongoing challenge.