What is Face Blindness Disorder that Brad Pitt claims to have?

What is face blindness disorder? Brad Pitt recently revealed that he thinks he has a rare face blindness disorder called prosopagnosia. The face blindness disorder means that one cannot recognise people's faces. Pitt had first spoken about the possibility of having prosopagnosia face blindness in 2013. 

The 58-year-old actor said recently that he thinks he has face blindness disorder but no one believes him. He is yet to be formally diagnosed with the disease. He said that he worries about appearing aloof, remote and inaccessible and self absorbed while struggling to recognise faces of people.

He had said in an interview recently that he wants to meet another person with the same condition. "So many people hate me because they think I'm disrespecting them. Every now and then, someone will give me context, and I'll say, 'Thank you for helping me,'" said the actor in his interview. 

Pitt further said that he tried copping to his struggles, but facial features are a mystery to him. He explained saying, "I can't grasp a face, and yet I come from such a design/aesthetic point of view. I am going to get it tested. That's why I stay at home."

What is Prosopagnosia face blindness?

Prosopagnosia is a face blindness disorder, which means that one cannot recognise people's faces. The disorder generally affects people from birth and usually stays with the person for most of their life. 

Is face blindness common?

No, face blindness is a rare disorder that can have a severe impact on everyday life of the person. 

The researchers have found evidence that prosopagnosia, which was once thought to be exceedingly rare, may affect up to 2 percent of the population.

What are the symptoms of face blindness?

• Inability to recognise familiar faces 
• Inability to describe faces
• Confusion regarding movie plots or plays
• Disoriented feeling 

What causes face blindness?

There are two types of face blindness- 

Developmental prosopagnosia – The face blindness where the person does not have any brain damage. This generally affects people from birth.

Acquired prosopagnosia – The face blindness disorder that a person develops after brain damage, following a stroke or head injury.