I’ve been thinking about faces lately. I wonder if we aren’t growing tired of looking at them. My thoughts along these lines were ignited by two seemingly unrelated incidents. During the pandemic, while we were in Mexico, we communicated with family members in Canada via FaceTime. After two years, one of our children announced that it was getting difficult for her to get her kids to come to the phone for a FaceTime session. “What with online schooling and social media,” she said, “they spend so much time looking at screens they’ve gone off them. They’re tired of just looking at faces.” So we switched to emails, texting, and non-visual telephoning, and communication was restored.
I think it's more likely my drafting skills that make my Neolithic selfie a tad inscrutable. I was trying to put a forced smile on him while he tried to figure out which button to push on his device.
Great post. I don't know if it's relevant, but if I watch a clip of a film with the sound down, the actors' faces become more expressive to me (it's my way of working out whether they can act). Perhaps the interaction between sound and vision in our online talks has something to do with the issue?
I recently visited my brother and I noticed among all the family photos that there wasn’t one of me when I questioned him about it he said he didn’t know. After reading your post I now know why. I’m 6’3” and handsome he’s 5’8” and average looks.
I have found animated cartoons to be a good way of understanding how to "read" faces. Although often exaggerated for comic effect, it is often made easy to understand there what sort of facial expressions correspond with certain emotions.
I think it's more likely my drafting skills that make my Neolithic selfie a tad inscrutable. I was trying to put a forced smile on him while he tried to figure out which button to push on his device.
Great post. I don't know if it's relevant, but if I watch a clip of a film with the sound down, the actors' faces become more expressive to me (it's my way of working out whether they can act). Perhaps the interaction between sound and vision in our online talks has something to do with the issue?
Interesting observations. And funny dig at you-know-who with the mugshot comment.
I recently visited my brother and I noticed among all the family photos that there wasn’t one of me when I questioned him about it he said he didn’t know. After reading your post I now know why. I’m 6’3” and handsome he’s 5’8” and average looks.
I enjoyed this thoughtful post, and the terrific illustration. Though I still prefer “mistook his wife for a hat” to “prosopagnosia”!
I have found animated cartoons to be a good way of understanding how to "read" faces. Although often exaggerated for comic effect, it is often made easy to understand there what sort of facial expressions correspond with certain emotions.