Why do we tend to remember ugly faces more easily than attractive faces?

“Pretty” faces are more symmetrical and, well, lack distinguishing features.

@fizzbanger So ugly people have more distinguishing features? When I see a girl with beautiful hair and eyes, those are distinguishing features, but it’s hard to keep what she looked like in my memory. However, when I see an ugly person, even for the first time, that person’s face will remain in my memory for days. It’s like the harder I try to remember the beautiful girl, the harder it is to recall what she looked like. :(

@MRSHINYSHOES Perhaps the beauty is just too overwhelming… like, you’re enjoying the shiny hair and eyes, and thinking with a different head. Hehe.

I’m going to go out on a limb here, but I suspect that as a man, you are paying more attention to her figure than her face if you find her attractive. Not that you don’t notice her face, but I would be your attention is more focused on her body, overall.
Personally, I don’t ever recall having this issue.

I don’t think this is necessarily the case of ONLY remembering ugly faces. I think we as humans tend to remember the extremes, the gorgeous and the ugly. I remember gorgeous men I have seen and ugly ones, but the middle of the road guys get lost in the shuffle of my memory. And this isn’t particular to faces, it can pertain to many aspects. Most people remember the really bad days of thehir life and the really good ones. Who remembers the day you got up, went to work, came home, ate dinner, watched TV, went to bed? It’s the exceptional, or out of the norm, that creates a more longer lasting memory.

I think its just that we notice abnormalities easier. The girl or guy with the huge forehead, or large wart, or eyes spaced far apart or enormous bottom lip with a narrow top lip or pencil thin lips.
Even the good looking person has to have something that will stand out. Large ocean blue eyes, or brilliant smile, or petite cute nose or natural rosy cheeks or luscious lips.
For me it can be either. It just makes it easier to recall a persons looks if they have some distinguishing feature that sets them apart from most people. Its just rare to see someone who is naturally so good looking, have something that just sends their looks over the top. Even they do have that one special thing, that sets them apart from other good looking people, then most of your focus will be on that one thing and you really don’t pay attention to the rest of their features.
I also think that when we are talking to someone who isn’t consider pretty, we try to avoid looking at the one feature that is the ugliest of all and we try to look at the features that don’t stand out.
Ever look at a person with a big mole on their face? You’ll conciously try to avoid staring at that mole so you will look at their eyes or nose or lips. You don’t want the other person to feel you are staring at the mole.

I’m remembered for my brilliant yellow beak, beautiful plumage and distinguished waddle, of course. Quack

For us to call someone ugly, they really have to not look very good, because we’re used to seeing average and pretty people all over the place. The ugly people are a minority, which is why we’re really surprised when we see them.

I know this sounds bad, but I skipped the political correctness to make the answer shorter.

Oh I disagree, “ugly” faces I instantly forget, especially if i’m about to eat.

I agree with @ANef_is_Enuf. It’s human nature.
Wrong though, it’s just cruel to call a face ugly. Not acceptable.

I notice and remmeber both pretty and ugly people (that of which I personally think) equally. :/