Face the Holidays With Better Face-Name Memory

The following story is a familiar one. It could take place in a business meeting, at a holiday party, or on the first day of class. You're introduced to someone new. The two of you shake hands and exchange names.
Weeks, days, or even just minutes later, you run into that person again. And though you might vividly remember the first meeting, you just can't seem to recall a name. If this embarrassing situation is familiar, you're not alone: people of all ages can have difficulty remembering names, though such deficits tend to increase with age.
Fortunately, studies have found that face-name recall can be improved. A 1990 study in Developmental Psychology found that older adults were able to significantly increase their ability to remember face-name pairs after training. If you'd like to improve your face-name recall in time for the holiday season, here are some tips.
Repeat names after hearing them
Active recall—writing out a word or phrase you want to remember, or answering it in response to a question—is a well-known strategy for memorization. If you have a photo of the person whose name you want to remember, try writing his or her name on the back and quizzing yourself. You can also write questions for each person you met, for example: "I met this person who works in accounting and has brown hair at the company party." Quiz yourself periodically.
Pay attention during introductions
When your attention is divided between different tasks and stimuli, remembering new information—such as a name—is more challenging. Take a moment to shake off other distractions and focus on the person you're meeting during an introduction.
Train with face-name recall exercises
Lumosity has two engaging exercises designed to improve your face-name recall abilities. In Familiar Faces, you play a waiter taking orders at a series of bustling restaurants. You'll need to remember customers' name to keep them happy and get a larger tip. In Name Tag, you'll need to remember which names match which faces and connect each name tag to its accompanying photo.
These games give you a great memory workout whether or not you're keen on improving your face-name recall abilities in particular. Try out all our memory games when you unlock full access today!