Likewise, when they watched a movie together, Seo would often recognise “extras” who’d appeared fleetingly in other films. I’d already be so familiar with them and I’d know in my head: ‘Oh, you are that person’s sibling, or you used to date so-and-so,’” she says. Photograph: Alana Holmberg/Oculi for The GuardianUntil the early 2000s, little scientific attention was paid to whether all humans possess the same ability to recognise faces. And I think that scientists had that intuition as well.”White first became interested in the field while studying a rare condition called prosopagnosia – when a brain injury leaves someone unable to recognise faces. Of more than 100,000 people tested in an online tool to unearth the world’s best super-recognisers, Seo ranked in the top 50.

Source: The Guardian January 16, 2022 16:35 UTC