Why does this always happen and what does it say about your brain?

為什麼總是會發生這種事情，而這和你的大腦又有什麼關係？

Chances are you can remember somebody's face over their name.

這有可能是因為比起對方的名字，你更容易記得他的臉。

Our brains are hardwired to recognize facial details.

我們的腦袋特別容易辨認臉部特徵。

Brain scans even show that individual brain cells are fired in response to any given face.

腦部掃描也發現，腦細胞接受到臉部訊息時會有明顯的反應。

But when it comes to forgetting names, it may have to do with something called the "Baker Effect."

但說到忘記名字，這可能和一個叫做「貝克效應」的東西有關。

If I tell you I'm a baker, I'm providing information about what I do, and how I spend my time, but if I say my name is Baker, it has no mental links and is vulnerable to forgetting.

如果告訴你我是烘焙師，你便能知道我的職業及常做的事，但若告訴你我的名字叫 Baker，這個資訊在腦中無法產生聯結，因此容易被忘記。

After all, names are completely arbitrary and hold no specific information in them.

畢竟，取名字是很隨意的，也不具有什麼特殊資訊。

And if your brain can't make connections between multiple pieces of information, particularly things you already know or feel familiar with, then you're more likely to forget that information.

如果你的腦袋無法將不同的資訊聯結起來，尤其是和那些你原本就了解或熟悉的事做聯結，那你很可能就會忘記它。

Of course, it doesn't help that you're often focusing on introducing yourself.

當然，這也可能是因為你太專注於想介紹自己。

This is known as the "next-in-line effect."

這就是所謂的「輪流發言效應」。

Instead of watching and listening to the other person, your brain starts focusing on its own routine: what you'll say, how you'll move, etc.

你的大腦不但沒有在看或是聽對方的介紹，反而是專注在自己的事情上，例如你等等要說什麼、要擺怎樣的手勢等等。

And we simply aren't very good at both disseminating information at the same time we try to take in and store new information.

我們就是不太能在提供訊息的同時，一邊接收新的資訊。

Our brains have both short-term and long-term memory.

我們的腦袋中有著短期記憶和長期記憶。

But the short-term memory, or sometimes called working memory, can only hold so much information, and if you don't focus on it, it fades away quickly.

但短期記憶又稱工作記憶，它就只能保存那麼多的訊息，而如果你不專注於它的話，很快就會淡忘了。

Finally, other research suggests that, drumroll... you may just not care.

最後，也有研究顯示... 可能是你根本不在乎。

Honestly, you may be at a party in which you'll never see this person again, or just generally uninterested in forming a new relationship.

老實說，因為在派對認識的人可能再也不會見面，又或者你真的對結交新朋友不感興趣。

Simply put, the more interest you have in something, the more likely your brain is to make new connections.

簡單來說，當你對某件事越感興趣，腦袋中越容易產生新的聯結。

As a result, people who enjoy making new relationships are tuned in and focused, and barely feel as if their memory is being used or tested.

所以，想交新朋友的人會很投入且專注，幾乎不會覺得他們努力在背誦或是在考驗記憶力。

So how can you improve your ability to remember names?

所以到底要怎麼樣才能提升記名字的能力呢？

We break down seven clever tips to avoid forgetting names in our newest AsapTHOUGHT video, which you can check by clicking on the screen, or using the link in the description below.

在我們 AsapTHOUGHT 頻道最新的影片中，整理了七個聰明的小秘訣來防止你忘記名字，你可以點螢幕上的連結收看，或是點說明欄裡的連結。

These tips have been so useful to us!

這些小秘訣對我們來說很實用！

And subscribe for more weekly science videos!

請訂閱以觀賞更多每週的科學影片！