How to Improve Your Ability to Recognize a Face

Occasionally forgetting a face is normal. According to a study conducted by scientists at Harvard and Dartmouth Universities, the ability to recognize faces improves up into the early 30s, after which it slowly declines, possibly due to changes in the brain. Quite simply, the inability to recognize faces can affect your social and work lives for the worse. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take in order to improve your recall of faces.

Instructions

• 1

  Observe a person's face and maintain a strong desire to recognize his or her facial features. Having a strong mindset that you want to recognize this person's face and name is vital. Scan the person's face and purposefully capture it in your mind. Look for facial characteristics that are particularly memorable or stand out in some way.

• 2

  Learn the person's name and repeat it in conversation. Make sure that you have correctly heard the person's name; ask them to spell it if necessary. Concentrate on embedding the name in your mind and then use it at least two to three times when you are speaking to that person face-to-face.

• 3

  Review the name in your mind and willingly associate the name and face as you do so. It may help if you can associate aspects of the environment that you're in as well. Recalling what the person was wearing, for instance, can help you more easily visualize him or her later on.

• 4

  Review the name within 24 hours to implant it firmly in your memory. Recount what the person looked like by conjuring up a clear image of his or her face in your mind. Recall the person's name while doing so.