Which Is Easier, Remembering Names Or Faces? Here's The Expert's Answer

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JAKARTA - Memorizing someone's name takes time, which means it's easier to memorize faces. What causes our memory to be short in remembering new people's names?

According to two psychologists who investigated the complexities of remembering names, Lise Abrams and Danielle Davis, remembering names is more difficult because names can be owned by anyone. Unlike apples, when you mention apples, someone will know about this nutritious food.

In contrast, when you mention Budi, it is very possible that you don't know anything about him. The name, according to psychologists also has no synonym or has no substitute. For example, a pen can be replaced with a writing tool. However, the name cannot be replaced by another word.

The name contains several aspects, for example, surname, first name, and sometimes there are other additions. Plus, according to Lise and Danielle, names also have letter combinations that are often difficult to remember.

Basically, forgetting a name is like forgetting a word that you know the word but are unable to pronounce. Finally, there is something more attached than a name, namely a real picture, for example, a face, a profession.

When a friend mentions Candra's name, but what sticks in your mind is Sandra, who works as an accountant. This is called the 'Moses illusion'.

The illusion of Moses is depicted as we read. Each word is not explored its meaning one by one but as long as it plays the right role in conveying the information, it will be accepted. Reading will stop when it comes across an unfamiliar or 'foreign' word.

That's how we remember names, hoping entirely on memory but the way the memory works for words is two to three seconds faster than remembering names.

Why is it easier to remember faces?

Quoting Body and Soul, Monday, March 1, according to Dervla Loughnane, remembering names is a cognitive ability. Clea Warburton added, as visual creatures, humans have more cortex which is responsible for processing visual information.

Through visual information, someone compiles codes based on the information captured through the senses. From there, memories begin to form, but again memories are often forgotten. This is the same when experiencing a memory lapse.

If at first glance, getting acquainted and then communication is over then the memory is not rooted strongly in remembering names. To take more root memory of names, suggests Loughnane, you can build codes from names. For example, meet someone named Bagus and build visual code.