We all struggle to memorize names from time to time. Some we have forgotten for good. It can be embarrassing or considered rude. Anyway, have you ever wondered why memorizing names comes with such difficulty?
Griffin's research
Griffin's research shows that names are actually one of the most difficult words to remember. But how does something that seems so trivial to us lead to so many strange moments in life?
Prosopagnosia
Prosopagnosia is a neurological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize faces. Prosopagnosia is also known as face blindness or facial agnosia. The term prosopagnosia comes from the Greek words for “face” and “lack of knowledge.”
If you suffer from it, it is perfectly understandable that you have trouble remembering names or matching them with the right faces. But as prosopagnosia affects only a minority of the population, it is unlikely you have it. There are however other reasons.
Important or not that much?
One theory says that says that names have more or less importance in our daily lives. If we dig a little, we will notice that many names have an etymological meaning. In the past, the name was only given to the only child. And I suspect that many people do not know the origin of their name completely, let alone other peoples'. Have you ever considered your friend Diana to mean a "celestial hunter"? For vast majority of people names are just usual names, without they're deeper meaning. Possibly that's why it's sometimes difficult to remember them. Because the name itself has little information and is "meaningless", our brain perceives it as just a random sequence of letters.
Are you really interested?
Some studies suggest that the problem with names is not a matter of memory itself, but how much attention you pay to them. Research by psychologist Richard Harris proves that the level of interest correlates with how well we remember someone's name. It may be a matter of inattention or distraction or focusing on something else at the moment. We focus on how to introduce us to someone, what should we say, etc. Forgetting the names of people you know may not be a matter of the lack of attention, but opposite, the fact that you just think too much about what will happen after getting familiar with it and that makes us focus on something other than the names themselves.
People for whom getting to know people is very important, they remember names better because they have a different level of interest in others.
Nothing in common
If the brain is unable to create any meaningful connections to other things, such as shapes, symbols or information, it is struggling to keep the information. Let's combine it with the "next-in-the-queue" effect and we have a recipe for temporary memory loss. This effect describes that we forget things that happened just before what we were supposed to do. This is because we are subconsciously intensely focused on what we are about to do ourselves, that in some way other people are not interested in us anymore. This is the moment when we are not inclined to acquire new information. As a result of this phenomenon, we often do not remember the names of those who have just introduced themselves. However, being aware of this weak point, we can place more importance on memorization.
How to improve names memorization
- Motivation - convince yourself (consciously) that you want to remember.
- Repeat - give yourself time to concentrate on the name you just heard. Repeat it few times in your thoughts. Replay with the person's name when you introduce yourself: "Nice to meet you JOHN"
- Connect - memory is built on connections. When you meet John, think about some other John you already know, maybe your favorite actor or cartoon character. Creating memory connections improve memorizing
- Mnemonics - may help with memorizing unique names. Ask the newly met person how to pronounce his/her name or take the name apart into syllabus which have some meaning to you.
- Farewell - repeat the name on goodbye. "See you around John" or "I'll see you around Kate" does miracles. Repeating is the key to memory.
Really good post.... I have found myself in such positions countless times I'd try this
It's natural for some people to remember names, dates, anniversaries. Others, myself included, find it pretty hard, but I especially find a repetition method good. Put it in your head many times and then try to think about each such event a day after, it does indeed make a difference. Thanks for your comment!