Can You Spot Faces Like a Spy?

Super recognisers represent a rare group of individuals gifted with an extraordinary ability to detect and recognize faces. Their genetic advantage allows them to identify people from blurry CCTV footage or old photographs, surpassing the capabilities of the general public. This unique skill has led law enforcement agencies, such as the Met Police, to recruit them for critical investigations, notably their involvement in tracking suspects from the 2011 London Summer Riots.

These individuals also possess a remarkable talent for spotting manipulated or AI-generated images. Recent studies indicate super recognisers can identify artificial faces with significant accuracy, even after minimal training. While environmental factors like urban exposure can play a role, scientists largely believe that the super recogniser trait is innate, determined by genetics rather than learned skills. Twin studies strongly support this genetic influence, showing identical twins often achieve similar scores on recognition tests.

Signs of being a super recogniser include easily spotting actors in different roles despite significant changes in appearance or remembering faces of acquaintances after decades. A certified super recogniser, Louise Bruder, shared her experiences of recognizing people with only brief encounters, which eventually led her to a career in identity verification. Scientists are still exploring the exact neurological differences, but research suggests super recognisers exhibit heightened brain activity in facial recognition areas shortly after viewing a face.