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Humans Can Recall an Average of 5,000 Faces in a Lifetime


People have their faces painted in the style of Mexico's iconic "Catrina," as they prepare to march in the Grand Procession of the Catrinas, part of upcoming Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico City, Sunday, October 22, 2017. (Image: AP)


Ever wondered how many faces you can remember in your lifetime? Scientists have found that on an average, humans can recall a staggering 5,000 faces from their personal lives, the media, and famous personalities.

The study, led by researchers from the University of York in the UK, suggests that facial recognition abilities equip humans to process thousands of faces that they encounter in the modern world -- from their smartphones to social interactions.

"Our study focused on the number of faces people actually know -- we haven't yet found a limit on how many faces the brain can handle," said Rob Jenkins from the University of York.

"The ability to distinguish different individuals is clearly important--it allows you to keep track of people's behaviour over time, and to modify your own behaviour accordingly," he added.

For the study, published in the journal Proceedings of The Royal Society B, the team developed a laboratory technique based on a theory called recognition and recall.






This is despite humans having typically lived in small groups of around one hundred individuals, the researchers said.


Moreover, the researchers noted that age can also play a role, and it would be interesting to see whether there is a peak age for the number of faces we know.


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Health - U.S. Daily News: Humans Can Recall an Average of 5,000 Faces in a Lifetime
Humans Can Recall an Average of 5,000 Faces in a Lifetime
Health - U.S. Daily News