Face to face

Model of a human brain, in the background a test person wearing an EEG electrode cap. Image: Jens Meyer (University of Jena) - People remember faces better from personal meetings than through still or moving media images The human brain remembers faces better after a personal meeting than by looking at photos or videos, according to findings by neuroscientists at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. In the current issue of the "Journal of Neuroscience", the research team led by Prof. Gyula Kovács and Dr Géza Gergely Ambrus have published EEG data which show that the familiarity of a face is anchored measurably more strongly in the brain of the observer if the face is seen in person. Recognising and remembering faces has been essential to the survival of human beings ever since the emergence of our species. As babies, we already recognise familiar individuals and get to know more people throughout our lives. Recognising our kin, knowing who means us well and who does not - these skills help us in our personal relationships and strengthen the social fabric, today as in the past. An adult will have got to know an average of 5,000 faces and will be able to distinguish them from unknown individuals.