Brad Pitt recently said in an interview that he has prosopagnosia, also known as “facial blindness.” This is a rare neurological disease. One of the symptoms is having trouble recognizing faces, which can be mild or severe for different people. Even though there is no link between social problems and learning disabilities or memory loss, some people may have long-term anxiety or sadness because of them.
People can be born with prosopagnosia or learn to have it. In some cases, the condition runs in families. Because congenital prosopagnosia doesn’t have any obvious brain problems, its exact cause is unknown. Acquired prosopagnosia can happen after a brain injury or from a disease like Alzheimer’s.
Even though there isn’t a fix, people may learn to tell the difference between people by using voice or gait as clues. Neurologists make sure it’s not a sign of a more serious condition by testing the person’s memory and ability to recognize faces.
Many people with prosopagnosia, like Pitt, may never get an official diagnosis because it can be hard. Even though it makes some people weak, others are able to deal with its social problems.
