Never being able to remember people’s names

This is an essential survival skill,  a psychological defence mechanism to protect the brain from overload. It is unimaginable that anyone should remember the names of everybody they’ve ever met or read about when the memory cells need to be kept clear for more crucial data such as security alarm codes , pin-numbers, or  the registration numbers of every car you’ve ever owned . This selective amnesia has taken humans aeons to evolve and , though not so necessary in prehistoric times when everybody was called Ug  , it has become an increasingly indispensible social skill over the years so that today not being able to remember anybody’s name is a proud boast  ‘guaranteed to break the ice at parties’. It kicks in especially in emotionally charged moments in which parents have been known to forget even the names of their own children .  And not only names because in heated domestic situations even the closest of families also often forget how they are related to each other and feel it necessary to remind themselves, as in:-  “How dare you speak to your father like that. Just look how you’re upsetting your mother. Is it too much for your parents to ask that you be a bit helpful round the house  – like your sister? She’s you mother’s daughter, your sister.  I can’t think what’s got into you  –  my own son! All it takes is lending a hand now and then and Bob’s-your-Uncle  ”  

(Lazlo Bleach, Darlington) - QQQ**