--- title: "Brad Pitt Says He Has Prosopagnosia" description: "Brad Pitt is one of the most recognizable faces in acting. But recognizing faces is something that Pitt himself seriously struggles with." date: "2022-07-08" modified: "2022-07-08" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/brad-pitt-face-blindness-prosopagnosia" categories: - "Brain" - "Health & Medicine" - "Neuroscience and Brain" tags: - "brad pitt" - "brain disorder" - "face blindness" --- # Brad Pitt Says He Has Prosopagnosia ![Brad Pitt is one of the most recognizable faces in acting. But recognizing faces is something that Pitt himself seriously struggles with.]() *\Image: Amy Sussman/Getty Images\* Brad Pitt is one of the most recognizable faces in acting. But, as the Academy Award winning actor revealed in an [interview with *GQ*]() last month, recognizing faces is something that Pitt himself seriously struggles with. While never officially diagnosed, Pitt believes he suffers from a neurological disorder known as prosopagnosia, or face blindness, a topic that [started trending]() across the media landscape this week in the wake of his recent interview. "Nobody believes me!" he told *GQ*. It's a familiar conundrum for many battling with or near to others suffering from the disorder. "My husband also has prosopagnosia," one [Twitter user wrote]() in reaction to the news. "It makes everyday social interactions difficult in ways that only a person who has it, or is close to them, can really understand. And, yeah, no one ever believes it's a real thing." It’s a sad development in the actor’s health. Back in 2013, Pitt [told *Esquire*]() that the symptoms were bad enough that he hated leaving his house. "That’s why I stay at home," he said at the time, referring to the disorder. According to the [National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes]() (NINDS), prosopagnosia is not the result of memory loss, impaired vision, or learning disabilities. Instead, the disorder arises from abnormalities, damage, or impairment to the right fusiform gyrus, a part of the brain responsible for facial perception and memory. In other words, sufferers are failing to recognize faces because their brains are fundamentally unable to process the faces they're seeing — not because of a lapse in memory. The severity of the symptoms vary. It’s common to have difficulty recognizing the faces of one’s own family members, while some with the disorder are unable to recognize even their own face. There’s no one cause for prosopagnosia, according to NINDS. Scientists have previously linked the disorder to stroke, neurological deterioration, or genetics. It can even be inherited with no obvious brain damage at all. While there isn't a specific treatment plan or cure, there are ways to help sufferers develop "compensatory strategies," NINDS says. Pitt often worries that because he can't recognize other people's faces, they'll think he's aloof or cold. Obsessing over that is a very real problem for many other sufferers, and the effect can be socially debilitating. So the next time a friend or a loved one insists that they suffer from something similar, don't shoot them down. Be patient with them. Also, considering that he maintains that he hasn’t been officially diagnosed: please see a doctor, Brad! **READ MORE:** [*Brad Pitt Opens Up His Dream World*]() **More on neurological disorders:** [*"Poisonous Flowers" in Brain May Cause Alzheimer's, Scientists Say*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()