Prosopagnosia explained as Brad Pitt speaks out about his symptoms and potentially having condition
Brad Pitt spoke out his symptoms and the potential that he has prosopagnosia.
It’s a condition many people don’t even realise is an actual thing, typically dismissing it as a bit of a bad (or slightly rude) habit.
Also known as ‘face blindness’, the neurological disorder can mean you quite literally have difficulty recognising people’s faces.
So, while many of us may be able to instantly pick out Pitt’s face from a line-up, he claimed it’s not likely he could do the same for people he has met before.
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Of course, when the celebrity spoke out about this back in 2022, there was some backlash, as not everyone believed the star actually has the condition.
But the Fight Club actor said he feels shame over it.
So, let’s dig a bit further into what prosopagnosia actually is.
As the NHS explain, the main, key symptom is having difficulty recognising faces.
“You'll still see the parts of a face normally, but all faces may look the same to you,” it adds.
Different people are affected by the condition in different ways, as while some may not be able to pick out people they don’t know well from total strangers, others might not recognise the faces of friends and family.
And, some might not even recognise their own face.
Other symptoms of prosopagnosia can include difficulty with recognising: emotions on people’s faces, people’s age and gender, characters and following plots in TV shows and films, other things such as cars or animals, and also difficulty with finding their way around.
There is no treatment for the condition, but those suffering from it can take measures to help recognise people. This may include telling people about it before meeting them, using name tags, or using people’s voices or body language to tell them apart.
Prosopagnosia is caused by an issue with the part of the brain that processes information about faces and can happen if you’re autistic, have brain damage, or don’t develop the ability to recognise faces.
The NHS advise seeing a GP if you’re struggling to recognise people’s faces and it’s affecting your life. They may then refer you for an assessment with a specialist.
Pitt said in 2022 that he hasn’t been officially diagnosed with it, but has ‘extreme difficulty’ recognising people’s faces.
He previously told Esquire: “So many people hate me because they think I'm disrespecting them.
"You get this thing, like, 'You're being egotistical. You're being conceited.' But it's a mystery to me, man. I can't grasp a face and yet I come from such a design/aesthetic point of view."
Jess Battison