# Do You Notice the Details of Peoples Faces?



## Raawx (Oct 9, 2013)

ENTP friend of mine has a really good memory and pays a LOT of attention to the detail on peoples faces. When he talks about it, it's just really fascinating and weird to me. Like, I can't even consciously produce an image of a person.


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## FlaviaGemina (May 3, 2012)

For me it fluctuates. It also depends on how far away they person is.

If they are further away, I see their face as a whole.

If they are close up, I get fixated on individual features and also details of their clothes and avoid looking at their face altogether because otherwise I would stare at those features. It doesn't really happen with friends or random strangers (except INTP friends, because they have Ne and Fe rays), but people in the middle (e.g. colleagues) seem to be the problem.

LOL, I obsesses terribly about this when actually there is no need. E.g. when an ESFP sees that someone is wearing their green tie they just say "Oh, you've got your green tie on, hurr, durr,durr." By contrast, I struggle to suppress such comments because they state the obvious, but the pressure keeps building up to the point where I want to say "Oh, you've got your woolly tie on. It looks very vintage, did you find it in an ENTP-pile in your attic? Aaaargh, I didn't mean that in a bad way, I like woolly ties, it's just the kind of tie I'd wear myself, but it wouldn't suit me, you are very lucky that it suits you, ramble ramble."


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## Dao (Sep 13, 2013)

I'm terrible at it. You could have a one-hour conversation with me and the next time we see each other I will literally ask you who you are. I'll remember the conversation, though.


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## Raawx (Oct 9, 2013)

Shimmerleaf said:


> I'm terrible at it. You could have a one-hour conversation with me and the next time we see each other I will literally ask you who you are. I'll remember the conversation, though.


Funny. I'm the exact opposite. I'll remember the face, but struggle to remember the details of the conversation.


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## Stribog (Jul 13, 2012)

ISTP

I find I can remember people's faces pretty perfectly if said people made an impression on me ("impression" includes mere internal dialogue surrounding an observation of a stranger). Alsoooo I have this weird thing where I notice people's ears and jaws. I know - it's really weird - but I memorize the acquaintances and people closer to me's ears and jaws. In my mind they store a lot of character. I also have aspergers, and I wouldn't be surprised if that influenced this oddity.


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## Deus Absconditus (Feb 27, 2011)

During conversation I pay attention to the relation between what we're (the person I'm conversing with and myself) stating and the facial expression of the person I'm conversing with, but I don't and have never paid attention to the details of a persons face unless it sticks out greatly. Having a mole directly on your nose or something would be something I would notice, but if you were to ask me what eye color someone has then I would never be able to answer that (assuming its one of the more common eye colors), the same goes for hair color unless its blonde or red, or some crazy other color like purple.


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## Lemxn (Aug 17, 2013)

I am very bad at details and if I am not wrong, I pay attention on the face as a whole. Also, when my friends do new things in their look, like haircut, etc they have to ask me _"Do you notice something different? I cut my hair!"_ There's no way I could notice it. It's the same with environment. I see things as a whole, even faces, nothing for separately.


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## Lakin (Feb 4, 2015)

No. In fact, I'm _really_ bad with that type of thing. I don't make eye contact with people, so maybe that's part of it. Don't ask me to describe what someone looks like because I honestly cannot tell you, no matter how long I've known them.


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## Wild (Jul 14, 2014)

ESFP.

Yes, I totally notice facial features, but not every single one. I tend not to pay as much attention to eyebrows, but I pay a lot of attention to lips, eyes, and noses. Faces just fascinate me, really. I'm able to pinpoint what exactly is attractive in a certain feature, too!

It's weird though. I can form an index of attractiveness for other people, but I'm unable to do it for my own face. I can tell whether I look good in a particular photograph or not, but not how attractive I am as a person. I can only trust what other people say about me! I think that may be because I have very average features though, especially without makeup. Nothing really distinct.


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## Knight of Ender (Mar 30, 2014)

I don't know about details, but I usually remember the juxtaposition of their facial features and especially their hairstyle. In avery single Marvel movie, Natascha had a completely different hairstyle so I had no idea it was the same character until after the movie. So I guess I'm not as good as I think.


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## s2theizay (Nov 12, 2014)

Knight of Ender said:


> I don't know about details, but I usually remember the juxtaposition of their facial features and especially their hairstyle. In avery single Marvel movie, Natascha had a completely different hairstyle so I had no idea it was the same character until after the movie. So I guess I'm not as good as I think.


This sounds like my mom! Once we were sitting around talking about which celebrity you would want to marry should something horrible and deadly take out your spouse.
Mom: Oh, I know! I'd marry, who's that guy? The one that played Zorro?
Us: Antonio Banderas
Mom: Yeah, him. Or maybe? Maybe the one that played the dad in Spy Kids!
Us: That was Antonio Banderas
Mom: Oh! Haha! I also like that guy from Take the Lead...
Us: Antonio Banderas!
Mom: Wow. I must really find him attractive!


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## NewSoul (Mar 27, 2009)

I'm a a VERY unobservant sensor. I often cannot put names to faces as well as my other peers and I tend to miss details relating to other people. I'm not really sure why this is. I'm thinking it might relate to extreme introversion and/or self-centeredness.


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## Immolate (Mar 8, 2015)

I don't know my type, but I suspect IxTJ or something along those lines.

I have periods of time where I dream and dream and dream. I realized that I have a hard time making out a person's face in a dream, even if it's my own. I wake up and remember a blur where the face should be. I know who the person is because... they just are. 

Outside of my head, I don't remember a lot of details either. Right now I'm trying to recall my brother's face, but it's not as clear as it should be. I gather more details about a person when I view them in photographs. I agree with NewSoul. This may be a product of extreme introversion or being hyper-focused on your own thoughts and feelings.


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## uncertain (May 26, 2012)

s2theizay said:


> I don't know what words to use to describe faces.


This.

I don't know how detailed you mean, but I remember people's faces and how they look like, as a whole I guess that is what I do. Sometimes I do stare at people's faces so yeah I still do notice, but I suck at describing. Hair is the easiest, also eyes--color and size. Some people have pronounced/special features that just stick out. That would be easy, too. 

I think unless you are really good with words, faces are hard to describe. Words like big eyes long nose don't really do much for me. Blue eyes are better. But I don't have a single idea about what it means when someone tells me I have nice lips or pretty nose.


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## LittleOrange (Feb 11, 2012)

Yes. I love to observe people and have to control myself not to stare. (ISFP)


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## Sily (Oct 24, 2008)

I don't remember names or faces.

I'll give an example. I'm out to lunch with husband. His karaoke buddy bumps into us. Pleasantries are exchanged... I say "Oh, I've heard so much about you!!!". Karaoke buddy talks a bit, I notice he's talking softly, not a loud talker. I also am staring at his teeth when he's speaking. Teeth aren't the best.

After karaoke buddy leaves, husband says "did you see that HUGE wart on his nose I was talking about?"

Huh? What wart I say.

"The one that takes up 1/2 his nose, isn't it terrible?"

I saw no wart what-so-ever.


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## Merry in Sunshine (Feb 14, 2015)

Yes! I seem to notice everything, even without trying!

Whenever I talk to a person, I immediately "scan" their faces, looking for facial expressions that would give me a clue on what's on their mind, I look at the little details, including the different parts of the face and even the surroundings. All this without losing my focus on the conversation or making a person feel uncomfortable.

I don't really know if it's good or not, but as a kindergarten teacher it has a great effect. I'm able to have a conversation with a group of kids while noticing how they feel about it and while seeing what's going on behind them. It's such a great way to give the kids the feeling I'm always looking at them and make them behave well.


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## Chrispey (Mar 9, 2015)

Nope, I wish I had a bit better observation powers??

Or I dont know.. like I easily recognize people I have seen before but do not really remember small things about the looks since I usually focus on other things :laughing:


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## raminan (Jun 20, 2014)

I look at the general faces. I was surprised when my friend thought I had a thing for men with bushy eyebrows, I was like 'lol I didn't even notice'


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## surgery (Apr 16, 2010)

Aelthwyn said:


> I recently had a conversation with a few friends about noticing facial features. I was surprised that several of them said they don't particularly pay attention to any individual features and just notice on the whole whether someone looks good or not but without being able to pinpoint exactly why. They thought it was rather weird that I'm immediately consciously aware of things like nostril shape or density and length of eyebrow hairs etc. while I'm having a hard time imagining _not_ being aware of those things. And it got me wondering if this has anything to do with functions.
> 
> So please share your type, and then think about when you're in conversation with someone (more that just a quick glance): how many specific details about their face do you automatically notice without specifically trying to burn their image into your head? How well are you able to describe someone you've seen to someone else? Could someone even begin to draw a likeness of that person based on the details you pick up, or would your description be much too generic? (granted noticing details, and knowing what words to use to communicate that to someone else are slightly different abilities)


YES! I am an INFP and I am like this too. I actually think it has to do more with being a Four, because I've noticed one ISFP Four I've met is also like this, whereas my ISFP Nine mother is not (although she loves fashion and interior design). But, two of my other INFP 4 friends are the same way. We're basically friends because of this, to be honest.

The reason for me, I feel like, is that I have always been highly aware of beauty in both men and women and I always felt like it was a huge factor in the way that people treat others. I always notice what people are wearing, what their hair is like. When I am in public, I constantly people watch. When I'm trying to study, I am super easily distracted because I am always curious as to who's their, what they look like and what I think it means about people (not judging them, but just noticing how and why people are different). I remember people's physical qualities long after I see them. Other friends (not Fours and not INFPs) telling me, "you're so observant" or "I never notice people's faces like that". At the same time, it's always kind of been an Fi-value of mine to pay attention to what's good or special or beautiful in people, especially if they're kind of like misfits. I see beauty in everyone, but also am also extremely aware of their "flaws" and how that may factor into how other people perceive them, their "social status". For me, it's a matter of empathizing. 

One of my best friends works in fashion . All three of us have a love for fashion and beauty, in general. In high school, we were always in the "weird/artsy/quiet". groups. We just romanticize everything and think about what's ideal, how the world should be, what's the most perfect vision of love, etc. 

A down side of this, though, is that I (and my other INFP Four friends) are extremely self-critical. A couple years ago, I was clinically diagnosed with body-dismorphic disorder and still deal with it today. I have trouble going out of the house without make-up (even though I am a guy) or dressed in a way that suits my mood and I think will give other people the right impression of my personal identity. I am extremely self-conscious about my flaws in a way that impedes the quality of my life, I guess you could say


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