Recognizing people/faces...

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I hate it--- me and my BF went to the supermarket to get food. On the way out, a woman was going in. She said hi to us. I didn't recognize her, but was polite and said hi back as I went to my car. Once we got to the car, my BF asked me if I saw the woman and that she'd said hi to us and that we knew her from seeing her previously a number of occasions among friends. I only then vaguely remembered her--- I remember the occasions and places I'd seen her at, but not her or her face or anything. It's embarrassing when this happens, because people think I'm being rude or that I'm mad at them when in reality I can't recognize them. Does anyone else here have this happen to them and what are good ways to handle this?
I did take that "Face recognition test" that was linked on here a while back and I didn't do badly, so you'd think it would be like that in real life, but no...

I have the opposite problem.

I have a photographic memory; took me years to realize that people don't have hte same. I have embarrased so many people by saying hello. I have had to set up a rule, that I don't say hi unless i have had two-three conversations with them.

Welcome to the club!

The other day I'd just finished my DJ set, so I went to have a chat with a friend. He had someone else with him, and went to introduce me. The other guy said, 'Oh, I've been introduced to her, like FOUR TIMES!! !! She NEVER remembers who I am!'

He was right - I didn't remember who he was. I do this a lot, and I can actually understand why it makes people angry. I really must start making more of an effort.

I'm supposedly NT, and I have a horrible time with recognizing faces, people that I see in a different context -- i.e., a teacher of my children's, but this time they are shopping at the grocery store. It's really embarrassing.

I have two aspie boys, and they don't seem to have this problem!

Kris

I hate it, it is really embarrassing. Worst of all, in most cases people who recognise me and say hello, do so because I've made an extraordinary effort when I've interacted with them and been successful in projecting a typical 'NT' interest in social chit chatter, making stupid faces at each other during conversation, and generally appearing to track their eyes. What a waste when one single unexpected meeting throws all that out the window. Apparently people do not like it when despite numerous friendly interactions, you can only tell them from a bar of soap because you happen to know exactly what the soap looks like.

I have a really hard time with it..reeeely reeely.....and then I am told it is impolite for me to explain to people that I have a hard time recognising people....

I have had panic attacks over it before...

It's a problem for me. Someone invites me to their table for lunch and when they tell me I can come any time, I'm lost for words trying to think of how I can tell them I probably won't recognize them...

I say "damn the torpedoes" I AM gonna tell people I have a hard time recognizing people!!..otherwise they'll just get confused or think I am just being rude...(i know this from experience, and that is why I started doing it..)

It is alot more honest than pretending to recognise people that I simply do not recognise.

I need to have seen people a few times to truly remember their faces.

The online test for face recognition leave out a lot. There are so many different variables that can change with someone's appearance like their hair, makeup, clothes, mood, location (that is a big one), posture. etc. If you commonly see Jane Doe at Larry's Bar you are expecting to probably see her making it easy to recognize. But if you take Jane Doe out of that location and stick her in a supermarket, it can rock our World. There is the fear of what if you are wrong and that is not her. So keep your head down folks and hope you don't make eye contact with anyone. That way someone won't think you are rude since your head is down.

You said it...that's the story of my life...

The person + location thing is my biggest stumbling block. Take someone out of their context, and I have no idea who they are. (Unless I've known them for years and years.) If I see someone in a coffee shop who I see at Church, well I try and cover the best I can. (Which usually means I sound inane.)