Revisionist History cover image

Revisionist History

Face Value

May 8, 2025
Joe Degutis, a cognitive neuroscientist from Harvard Medical School, dives into the fascinating world of facial recognition. He discusses face blindness, revealing its profound impact on social interactions and identity. The conversation highlights the spectrum of abilities, from prosopagnosia to super-recognition. Malcolm and Lucie even share their own experiences, bringing a personal touch to the topic. Listeners are encouraged to explore their own facial recognition skills through various online tests, making this a relatable and engaging exploration.
33:06

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The podcast illustrates how face blindness can lead to social misunderstandings, impacting relationships due to varying facial recognition abilities.
  • Through Missy and JJ's friendship, the discussion emphasizes the importance of communication and empathy in overcoming cognitive differences.

Deep dives

Encountering Unexpected Friendships

A woman named Missy Kurzweil, newly returned from maternity leave, finds connection in a coffee shop with another patron, JJ Good. Both discuss shared experiences, including their pets, creating a bond over their similarities. This friendship blossoms as they meet consistently, working alongside each other in the café. However, when Missy changes her table one day, JJ begins to ignore her, leading her to wonder if she had offended him in some way.

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