If so, does that mean people actually remember a persons name & face after only one encounter?!
If not, why do we pretend they will be upset, and try to hide the fact that we forget an unfamiliar name?
People get upset if you part your hair wrong. Forgetting a name hasn’t gotten me killed yet but stranger things have happened.
I can remember someone’s name after one meeting but when I can’t it makes me feel awkward. I feel less awkward when 9 times out of 10 they forgot meeting me the first time.
I don’t, but I also don’t remember anyone’s name, either, so I might just be expecting the same treatment. If anything, it’s just awkward because the other person is being apologetic about it, not realising that in about 5 seconds I’m going to ask them the same question…
Yes. If I forgot someone’s name after meeting them it would be like me saying “you’re not important enough to me to remember your name.” It’s especially insulting when you think about how many people you meet once and do remember their name.
It’s especially insulting when you think about how many people you meet once and do remember their name.
What if that number is zero?
I can give a tangent I suppose. I, like many have a first and last name. I prefer… Military style (no idea what to call it, if it has a proper name). I’ve gone by this for 25+ years. I’ll introduce myself as such to people I know, work with, etc. and there’s usually questions… Which I can understand, generally it’s people not believing that that’s my name. Either it sounds too absurd to be a name or it is too absurd to be a first minute, we’re honestly I totally get. A quick show of their driver’s license usually sorts it out. And most people will refer to me as my last name. Only occasion someone will use my first name and it doesn’t really bother me, usually. (And just be clear I don’t use it like how a teacher would I use it like as if it was a first name that makes sense…).
When it does bother me is when it becomes obvious that the person is going out of their way to make sure they use only my first name. Because it is a clear sign of disrespect. And in almost every single case it’s clear that the person thinks they’re the first person to think of this and they think they’re clever and that I don’t notice. The most blatant was as individual started to say my last name, immediately stopped after the first few letters, and switched to my first name… It cannot have been more obvious that was intentional.
If it’s a clear sign of disrespect, can you say why the person wanted to disrespect you?
Depends, in my experience.
In High School, I forgot someone’s name, and being autistic and all, I just said outright “You, I forgot your name”. We knew each other and all, but I have an issue associating people’s face to a name. Of course, they were upset, but since they used sarcasm I had a hard time figuring it out (autism) until one of my friends asked me why I said that, and told me it was impolite.
Now I basically explain that I have trouble remembering names, and usually my new friends understand. I guess you just need to say that you usually have trouble with it and you should be fine.
I always lead by stating I suck at remembering names, which usually works. Still I understand why some get upset, because they themselves spend a lot of time and energy cramming names. I too cram names if they’re needed in a work function.
The trick is to call everyone boss, then you don’t need to remember their name.
No Dave.
I always preface with the fact I’m bad at names. I forget names of coworkers I’ve spent years with. Even friend’s names sometimes. In fact, I does not even have to be a person or animal’s name, jus the name of something. Places, objects, locations, etc. I frequent a park that has sentimental value and I couldn’t tell you the name off the top of my head.
A friend of mine has a joke that I always get the letter wrong. Usually I’ll say “I think it starts with [letter]” and most times it’s incorrect.
Usually there are ways around it since I’ve been told it’s rude, but nobody has ever outwardly told me they were unhappy I’ve forgotten. Typically they will notice I forget other names before it becomes a problem with them.
Question’s been covered by others here, but I just wanna pitch in with I can’t remeber names OR faces. Imagine how awful I feel when someone starts talking to me like they know me and I don’t recofnize them at all lmao
Only if i have fairly consistent interaction with them
I was a low level IT guy many years ago and had worked for the company for about 4 years. There was a sales guy also named Bob that I would help out a few times a year. It was a small company, around 50 employees, and every year at the company Christmas party sales guy Bob would come up to me and say “I don’t think we’ve met, I’m Bob”.
That pissed me off, but it is the only time I can remember where I was upset someone didn’t remember my name.
me hearing a person’s name once during being introduced
me… minutes later realizing that there is just a blank spot in my memory where there name should be
me… waiting for months hoping that somebody uses their name around me in a context that attaches a name to that person because I’m too much of a coward to ask the person directly
My name has so many variations that I don’t. But I can understand why others do, they don’t want to be associated with either a more common archetype than they are or a less common one, e.g. I have a friend who goes by Lydia, and when people call her Linda, it feels as if she feels the unique implications of her name challenged.
I think most ppl are fine with it if it is only once and you seem genuinely sad about it. I am fine with ppl forgetting we even met I am even playing along pretending it is the first time we meet, so far has it only been ppl I met maybe twice in my life(except one person). I have only met one person who actually got sad when I forgot her name. She asked if I was not as happy as she was to see me… That hurt, I remembered her tho! But not her name.
I think it is worse when I have to introduce myself everytime we meet and it has been over 3 times… One dude he never remembered me until the 5th time then he said "heey we have met before right?! " he even looked genuinely happy and I felt “finally we can stop pretending” but then the next time we met he introduced him self again… I remember you Felix!
I wouldn’t know I forgot what their name was
Oh, you mean…um… whatserface?