Remembering faces/remembering names

[Spot261]

One thing I remember from my college psychology classes is that unattractive or odd-looking faces are far easier for people to remember--a fact that always sticks with me when people I haven't seen in twenty years remember me while I have NO idea who they are. I guess being goofy-looking makes me hard to forget.

In 12 years I've never forgot my wife's name.....how does that work?

 

[publiusr]

I'm terrible at names. Whenever I see a face I'm embarrassed to ask what their name is because I should know it yet I don't.

Same here. People recognize me--but they have me stumped. Cholesterol....

 

[rhubarbodendron]

[...]. However, if it is a child from one of the preschool classes I've taught over the years, it's really incredible how I can remember details, including last names. Kiddos from a three-year old class I taught some twenty years ago, and I still remember full names (in some cases middle names!), and weird little details.

I always wondered how teachers do that. Do you have any idea how it works? Is it just because you have to deal with them at a daily basis or is there a trick?
Some of my teachers used to simply memorize the order in which we pupils sat, but after we started swapping places to confuse them, they quickly gave that up and memorized us by face. Surprisingly few teachers required us to use name tags.