Is Photographic Memory Actually a Thing?

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Sources:
Vitelli, Romeo, The Unforgettable Shereshevsky, Brewminate, December 8, 2016, web.archive.org/web/201612132...
Johnson, Reed, The Mystery of S, the Man With an Impossible Memory, The New Yorker, August 12, 2017, www.newyorker.com/books/page-...
Eidetic Imagery, Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/science/ei...
Foer, Joshua, Kaavya Syndrome, Slate, April 27, 2006, slate.com/technology/2006/04/...
Woman with Perfect Memory Baffles Scientists, ABC News, April 27, 2007, abcnews.go.com/Technology/sto...
Stromeyer, Charles, An Adult Eidetiker, labs.la.utexas.edu/gilden/fil...
Dunning, Brian, Photographic Memory, Skeptoid, October 25, 2016, skeptoid.com/episodes/4542
Von Essen, Jonas, All Truth About Eidetic Memory - Case Closed, MemoryOS, March 30, 2020, memoryos.com/article/all-trut...
Joynson, Annabelle, The Eidetic Memory: a Real Superpower? www.slidecamp.io/blog/eidetic...
Spiegel, Alix, When Memories Never Fade, The Past Can Poison the Present, NPR, December 27, 2013, www.npr.org/sections/health-s...

[@TodayIFoundOut]

Use code BRAINFOOD12 to get up to 12 FREE MEALS across your first 4 HelloFresh boxes, including free shipping on your first box at bit.ly/3vA78am

[@CartoonHero1986]

Just tried this. I am in Canada the code comes back only for existing customers when you aren't logged in, then when you are logged in it tells you that the code does not exist. Either their using you to bait and switch to get customers to sign up, or they gave you a code that will only work in one nation even though you are an international presenter. Obviously not the fault of this channel but just letting you know something is off here and you should look into the promo they are piggy backing off you.

[@melvinromero8347]

But why is there a katana??

[@OndaBoosters]

The Actress from the TV show called " Taxi " demonstrated she has a photographic memory.

[@SilentRacer911]

This idea of plagiarism is just idiotic. Of course there are going to be strings of words seen before. The simple fact of having a database of works that is always expanding is going to make it increasingly difficult for someone to get a degree in a field of study. Give it 50 years and nobody is going to be able to come up with a “individual” paper because of the increasing expanse of these databases.

[@Bloodrunner3]

Actually yes there was a female who was on a TV show and they had her look at a board and memorize the board throughout the course of the show they would ask her questions and move the board around and I asked her what numbers got moved and stuff like that and she could perfectly recall it

[@LRM12o8]

- "Was there ever a confirmed case of photographic memory?" - "Well, not that I can remember..."

[@HarryNicNicholas]

"will we ever have photogrpahic memories?" "let's see what develops"

[@2lefThumbs]

As an eight year old, I could chat with a classmate while listening to my teacher, up to around 25 I could play back what people at my table in a pub had said for a limited time. Now I'm 58, i can hardly remember my name

[@dallasl3688]

I'm the same. I just turned 31. I don't remember a lot of the things that happened in the past 6 years.

[@graemedalgleish8944]

I can give you my drivers license number, SIN number, other numbers, but I have trouble remembering what happened last week.

[@2Node]

@@graemedalgleish8944 oh, really? Tell what your ssn number is, your drivers license number, and full credit card details now just to see if you're not lying.

[@graemedalgleish8944]

@@2Node Take my word for it.

[@TechnikMeister2]

Indeed there is. My ex wife has one. It helped her win two university medals. Not only could she memorise pages of text, diagrams, spreadsheets etc, she could even get her brain to search for a particular section of text and she understood it all too. She left NZ for Australia at 17, having never even finished high school. At age 30, we had been married for three years and had out first son. I encouraged her to apply for adult entrance to university and after six years part time, she graduated with 1st Class Honours. She won two University Medals with a WAM of 94%. It had been 4 years since one medal had been awarded. Two had made history. She also won four academic prizes. The job offers came from everywhere, but she knocked them all back and said to me, she wanted to have more kids and be a full time mum. Fine be me. We are not together now, but she has my awesome respect.

[@nobodyspecial6267]

I have to ask man…what happened? Why you did break up

[@TechnikMeister2]

@@nobodyspecial6267 Simple. We stopped liking each other. She has a dark side.

[@aidancoutts2341]

She remembered everytime he left the toilet seat up.

[@thecornerkid402]

I have a friend who is an extraordinarily naturally talented musician. One day, another friend asked him how he was able to figure out what notes were correct when he picked out someone else’s music. He told her that he just matched the colors. It was that day that, after knowing him for over 20 years, we discovered that he had synesthesia and he discovered it was atypical.

[@Hazed64]

I find that shit really amazing like for people to get a sense of colour off of sound. Not as impressive but I've a friend who plays piano and since we were about 7 or 8 he can play a song perfectly after hearing it, for more complicated stuff he listens multiple times to pay attention to each instrument

[@thecornerkid402]

​@@Hazed64 Don't you just hate those people. I told him all the time, if he wasn't one of my oldest friends I'd hate his guts. Apparently his is really bad. He can't listen to orchestral music while he's driving because the large number of parts and instruments give him a sensory overload and there's so much color around him that it obstructs his vision.

[@Hazed64]

@@thecornerkid402 yeah lol he used to tease me when we played games as he'd go to the bathroom and all I'd hear over the might is just an orchestra of music from some 10 year old ahahahaha And damn sounds like your friends gift may also be a but if a curse that would be really hard to deal with, like if somw where you can't control the music

[@breakingaustin]

The voice gets smoother as the beard gets bushier

[@randyhammack6203]

All except those s's

[@LRM12o8]

@@randyhammack6203 yeah, they could do with a better microphone or some sound-deadening in the studio to get those harsh echo sounds out of his voice.

[@fokendikhed]

I could listen to Simon reading the phone book...

[@GuntherRommel]

Go watch something from 2014. He has definitely trained his voice to great effect

[@jeffpagan7735]

I want him to read me bedtime stories.

[@MajesticSkywhale]

"the things you do remember all feel like they happened yesterday and all negative emotions just pile up and always remain fresh" - That's a shockingly familiar feeling to me, what was that one called?

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

Hyperthymesia I think? Extraordinary persistence of personal history.

[@jasondean88888]

You typed this out instead of hitting rewind?

[@howyoudurrinhunneh]

Rain Man was 1988, not in 1998. My photographic memory says so.

[@elonmusk8603]

Give up. He doesnt read comments or respond

[@mayowankenobi]

My vhs recorded from HBO also says so.

[@rob28803]

My pornographic memory recalls Rain Main as a “watersports” video from the ‘70’s

[@delphinidin]

I can say from my own experience that synesthesia is a great mnemonic device! I have color-grapheme synesthesia (technically it's ideasthesia, but it often gets called synesthesia), which means that I associate different letters and numbers with colors, and also often with genders, ages, and personalities. I discovered in high school, when my chemistry teacher made us memorize the electrical charges of all the elements (whyyy??!!) that I could memorize more information by using my color-letter associations as codes. Whenever I needed to memorize large amounts of information for a test, I would color my notes with crayons or markers as an aid to memory. For instance, the letter S is yellow, so if I'm learning the definition of a word that begins with S, I'll color the word and definition in yellow, and later I can remember that the definition, as I saw it, was yellow, so it must be a word beginning with S! I also sometimes wrote information into little doodles, and then when I was taking the test, I would remember the doodle and it helped me remember the associated information. Very useful mnemonics! ... I'm so glad I'm out of school, though, and I no longer have to come up with tricks to memorize large amounts of information... >_

[@jdsguam]

Total WOKE Liberal in the house

[@mikespike2099]

I had a friend at high school who had a form of photographic memory - he literally spent the most time playing games and only really read the text book once in class - however when it came to tests he always beat me - even though I had been studying hard and paying attention in class. It pissed me off. Some people are blessed and some are cursed I suppose.

[@ebogar42]

I don't study much and pass with a good grade. If I studied like smart people usually do, I'd probably be considered a nerd like them.

[@jamesb2291]

Some people are just good at tests. I can usually score high on multiple choice tests just by using the context of other questions and process of elimination, even if I'm completely unfamiliar with the material.

[@custosnox]

The only way I made it through a lot of classes in high school was because of tests. I would sleep most days, if I even showed up, then ace the tests went back to college in my 30s, actually did the work, and still aced the tests, and had a 4.0. My friends think I have a photographic memory, but in truth, I've always just been good at storing information in my head, as long as I take the time to process it mentally. I forget a lot of shit because I don't bother to commit it to memory (oh how I wish I could do that with trauma).

[@hansolo631]

Do you think it's more likely that your friend has incredible gifts, or do you think it's more likely he just liked to play this idea up and he probably studied quite a bit. Is it easier to be an extreme outlier or to tell a lie?

[@tranphuongnam1860]

Is Photographic Memory Actually a Thing? Me: Yesn't

[@jacara1981]

I knew a girl in college that could remember every laugh, smile, cry, and sadness. She took a lot of meds and had problems with drugs. Imagine having a traumatic event and being able to recall it perfectly and how you felt. The nightmares she had =*(

[@evanjuleen]

I learned about that before.

[@jakeapplegate6642]

Having a good memory can be a curse. We tend to remember trauma more easily than we can remember good things that happen. It’s a survival mechanism that helps us avoid danger. Most people can probably remember an incident when they were young when they burned their hand on something hot or shocked themselves and that memory is probably more vivid than most good memories from the same age. I sometimes have episodes where I vividly remember every time I was ever hit or fell or broke a bone almost simultaneously. Imagine how people say their lives flash before their eyes when they “die” only it’s just every bad thing that’s ever happened to you and you don’t die and it can happen any time your mind wanders.

[@Brunowerther]

you almost described ptsd

[@ooee8088]

Weed helps to forget

[@jakeapplegate6642]

@@ooee8088 help with nightmares too.

[@malagastehlaate230]

I just always had a memory where if I read a question I can often "hear" the teacher saying the answer... great for taking tests... but no so good for actually knowing and using the information...

[@martyvendetta2743]

i'm very similar, in that i used to say i had "audiographic hearing" before not understanding that the word doesn't mean anything haha. But yeah, i can perfectly recall a sound after hearing it. i've even tested this before, had a friend use a dog clicker while i played tetris at high speed. He clicked it a number of times while i was concentrated on the game and then would ask me how many times he clicked it. even up to 17 clicks with random speeds and patterns, i was nailing it 100% of the time. I'm wondering if this is something that human brains just do better than visual memory?

[@malagastehlaate230]

@@martyvendetta2743 I don't know... for me it only works for me if I "read" the question... If someone asks me the same exact question I have no idea. I don't hear it ... but reading triggers the memory. Not sure why ... just know it works. I also found that if I tried to "study" by reading though the book and over things this seemed to make my brain more confused so I never ever studied for tests. I would glance over the syllabus before the test and call it good... I also didn't take notes... that interfered with the memory process. Just listening to the teacher lecture was all I needed. Where I struggled was with teachers who lectured and then tested over things they never lecured about. I also never missed or skipped class.

[@Kittsuera]

replay memory. great for taking tests. well unless you get a teacher obsessed with explaining how all the students do it wrong and not how to do it right. its like a self fulfilling claim. of course all the students tend to do it wrong, thats all they can recall because it wasn't shown how to do it right. /ramble

[@malagastehlaate230]

@@Kittsuera So TRUE... Or a teacher who tells you a wrong answer then comes back a week later and tells you the right answer and then you hear both of them and they are both on the test... and you have to guess as to which was the real right answer.

[@ebogar42]

I take tests like that. I can visualize my book or notes and almost feels like cheating. I have problems with math. I visualize numbers when listening or reading and it sometimes gets in the way of learning or something. It all just feels jumbled in my head. Like someone counting while you're trying to count. I've never really studied much and make good grades on tests usually. It doesn't seem to work all the time though. Learning blueprint reading was difficult for me for some reason, but I finally got it.

[@henrik.norberg]

I am autistic and I can't feel how old a memory is. I feel like every day in my life was yesterday. I do know that some memories are old, but they feel the same. I had to "lock my whole childhood in a box" because I can't forget about abuse I was a victim for. I know my memory is because of my OCD of always be in 100% control. Every meeting I will have I go through in my head and "try every possible thread" so I never get surprised. I don't remember everything but what I remember is forever and I remember every detail from a conversation like tone in voice, arms, shoulders, head tilt, eyes and so on. But I don't remember what my walls look like in my home. And I can't tell how anyone looks in their face and often don't recognize my own family members. My memory is NOT a blessing as I can't deal with friends, coworkers, family members, neighbors and so on because I remember every lie, every hard word, every mistake I do. I had a mental breakdown (one of many over the years) 15 years ago and I lost some of my memory ability and that was the best thing that happened in my life! I can't block out the world so I constantly burn out. But on the other hand I have unbelievable amount of facts in my head from more than 10000 books. Life is hard and I love knowledge but I envy ignorance.

[@mattkrieger3428]

My son is on the spectrum, and I have had a frustrating time trying to understand how his brain works. To make things harder, he has yet to be able to express himself. Videos like this and comments like yours are helpful. I hope that you continue to find your balance

[@henrik.norberg]

@@mattkrieger3428 I actually do lectures and have written books about how it is to experience the world with Aspergers (and Autism) as I am one of the few that actually understand non autistic people but unfortunately so far I have not had the energy to translate my books from Swedish into English but I will in the future. My books are quite unique in that I don't talk about knowledge or talk about my life but how and why we experience the world differently. What you write is what drives me as I don't actually care if your life gets better but if your sons life get better do. There are horrible statistics that show 5 to 28 times as often that autistic people take their life and live 16 to 30 years shorter.

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

I was adopted and raised by a cult, so I totally get your 'locked childhood in a box' thing, and it worked great for me until I experienced a TBI 4 years ago. I was likely already on the spectrum, and I've had neurological issues (seizures and night terrors) my whole life, but after the TBI I lost maybe 7-10 years of my most recent memories, so all of my past resurrected itself as my 'most recent/complete' memories, and it wrecked any chance of ever getting along with my family again because all the stuff I'd 'excused' or forgiven or watered-down came back in full detail. But I picked up a sort of 'auditory eidetic memory' as part of my brain's re-wiring, and now I write and compose music spontaneously, I 'suddenly understand' physics and math and understand languages that I never learned, and I have a 'physical/spatial' understanding of the world now that bypasses my old 'linear-thinking' style, so hearing something once now includes perfect/complete recall because I don't have to reduce it to a 'text memory/reduction' anymore first. There's so much for us to discover about the mind--neuroscience holds the great key to unlocking human potentiality. Thank you for your contributions to this research!!

[@henrik.norberg]

@@ingridfong-daley5899 Sorry to hear. I had days before with anxiety attacks where all memories was hunting me for 4 to 10 hours like night terrors but from real memories and completely awake. CBD oil took care of that. Not a single event in 4 years since I started taking it. My anxiety is now under complete control. My memories that I have locked away was on purpose and not involuntary, so my guess it that as long as I don't choose to remember I wont. I have a 3D copy of all important houses, and most of the other too, in my head. I can walk around and rotate the model as I can in a 3D cad software. I have exceptional high logical and spatial intelligence but lack in most other form of intelligence like social where I use my knowledge and logical IQ to navigate. I did Mensa's trial, that I had 60 minutes to do, in 6 minutes with zero fails. I spend 5 minutes on the last question even if I knew the answer directly... I got very upset (cant describe it another way) when I got the result of only 156 IQ, until a friend told me that was the highest on that test. I see patterns like normal people see colors, I don't have to think, I see them instantly like red threads in the air (cant describe it in any way another person can understand). I had to learn how to not take in and store memories of everything that my brain found interesting (like numbers as example). If my brain don't find it interesting (like most peoples name) I can't remember no matter how hard I try. Now days I only store few things from my everyday life as I crashed 4 year ago and completely 1 year ago, again. But when I get back I can allow myself to store more again. Since I have no clue how old memories are I once went to my sisters husbands workplace to meet him, but the problem was where I went he had quit 7 years earlier... I have so many experiences like this. 3 years ago I rescued a 19 years old autistic girl, from the high school where I worked, that was drugged with Risperidon so she could barely speak, beaten och locked in by her mother that have schizophrenia and Munchhausen by proxy. As I saw every detail I figured out what no one else had seen. It ended after a year of kidnapping attempts, in court where her mother tried to get her declared of incapacity so she could get hold of her again and more. Today I see the girl as if of my own flesh and blood, my daughter. She has a VERY fragmented mind (Dissociative disorder) but healed quite well so far but have a long way left. Today she lives on her own, are able to take care of her self and work in a café. But it has been a longer journey than most people do in a lifetime. At least I finally got usage out of the hundreds of psychology and neuro-medical books I have read. I don't work with anything medical, I just read about almost everything. So yeah, I know what trauma does to a head. Physically or mentally both damage beyond repair but can also give extraordinary functions.

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

@@henrik.norberg My 'episodic' memory is total shite now, and I have longstanding 'identity' problems (BPD primarily) that were further wrecked by the partial amnesia post-TBI, but interestingly, one of the things I 'lost' after the incident was all my 'internal commentary/monologue'--all that pre-recorded crap from a really warped upbringing that used to keep me from 'doing' things because I felt inadequate/not good enough/incapable--it all just 'disappeared' completely. (The 'old programming' and 'excuse-making' habits.) So I've become more productive than I'd been for years because I'm not bogged down with preprogrammed negative commentary anymore. I don't recommend a head-injury to solve longstanding personal problems, but Hooked-On-Brain-Trauma worked for me! :) What specifically do you lecture on? Like, what are your primary areas of focus?

[@raydunakin]

Dedication and hard work? Forget it!

[@christobalcolon6601]

I can't even remember what I was doing, even when the police confront me with photographs.

[@billd.iniowa2263]

"Forget it!" LOL! Nice one. ;-)

[@raydunakin]

@@billd.iniowa2263 I'm glad somebody got the joke. :-)

[@billd.iniowa2263]

@@raydunakin Oh yeah, I love word play. Thats just how eye roll.

[@lonnarheaj]

Good one! 🤣

[@bridgetlowe3660]

I think that, in many cases, eidetic memory is a coping skill. After a TBI, I now use visualization to support my short-term memory. I "write on post-its" in my mind so I can reread them later when I need to know whatever it says. Additionally, I struggled to recall memories in long-term storage, and found that visual memories (and tactile, for that matter) were the first and easiest to come back to me.

[@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88]

Hoping it's getting easier with time! I knew someone who's demeanor changed immediately after. The aggressiveness lessened over time. And we found a piece of him when he cooks or, goes fishing. The brain has some plasticity but it does take a lot of work. Good luck on your journey! (that's a good band)

[@ExtremexDreamz]

Agreed 👍

[@bridgetlowe3660]

@@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88 You are so kind! It's been 12 years for me. Thankfully, my personality changes were more on the end of "what do I really want in my life" boldness and I left an unhappy marriage. 😂 It amazes me how healthy regions of the brain can take over for others that have been damaged. It certainly gives me a different perspective on life, and it helps me support my students (I teach high school) who also have neurodivergencies.

[@bipolarminddroppings]

If you have to use a technique then it's not eidetic memory, it's actually more impressive because what you do requires some skill. I remember pretty much everything, whether I want to or not. To be honest, a lot of the time it sucks because the worst moments of your life never fade away, they are just as vivid as the day they happened. But then again, so are the best moments. Maybe we could swap? Lol

[@bridgetlowe3660]

@No One's Innocent Care to know my trick for that? I have a few little trays- they are identical- that I have in my most-used spaces. Bedside table, bathroom counter, kitchen counter nearest the front door, etc. If I set my phone down, it goes on one of the trays. When I can't find it, I have a simple little list of places to check. You could potentially do this without trays, but for me and my brain, it's most effective when I have visual cues.

[@lisazimmerman5622]

Very interesting! I've always wondered about my younger age memory. It's being a mnemonist more than "photographic" memory. I never really thought of it being photographic, even though I actually did see images. For example -- I had a 100 in my HS world history class because the teacher gave us only essay tests. He would give us a set of 20 questions at the beginning of each unit, and our tests were 10 of the questions. I wrote all the answers ahead of time as we covered topics in class. Then I would study the completed essays, but not by rewriting or anything. Instead I just looked at the paper, and "saved" the notes. It was a very visual process, down to placing the "notes images" in file folders. On test day, I would mentally see the folder being retrieved, pull out the image and copy down exactly what I had written. It always felt a bit like cheating! I did the same thing in my AP Bio class, where I could recall graphs and images in their entirety, down to the text page numbers. I knew it couldn't be a "true" photographic memory as it didn't work in all situations. I began to lose the ability later in college. Though the file cabinet remains to this day, I find I can't recall images nearly as well as I used to as a teen. (Health issues affecting my cognitive abilities likely affect it as well)

[@michaelkeefer4293]

When I was a kid I never studied for any test because I could remember everything that was written on a chalk board, on a couple pages of notes or selected pages of a textbook. When I'd see a question on a test I could picture in my mind the image sources and write answer down word for word from that mental picture. Some of my teachers thought I was cheating and in a way I guess I really was as I never really learned the material, just basically used the ability to pass tests. The difference with me and people that claim to have some sort of super memory is once the event happened that I was saving the mental image for, the memory would slowly fade, but I had this ability all the way up through high school. I seemed to quickly lose it as a young adult and cannot do it today. Curiously enough I also have synesthesia, and I use it along with association techniques to remember names, things for work, alpha numeric sequences and musical parts. Music forms pictures in my head I can recall those part from those mental pictures instead of brute force note memorization. However, I am no where close to being a mnemonics expert. Very interesting video!

[@lynnhettrick7588]

This was my experience too in school. I just read from the image in my head and wrote down what it said. But it wasn’t long term. Once the test was over, the image faded because I didn’t need it. I’m not sure how old I was when that ability faded, maybe my 20s, maybe because I didn’t need to take tests after college.

[@ebogar42]

I do that, but also picture numbers when someone is saying them, so it sometimes gets jumbled in my head like when someone is counting while you're counting. One reason I hate math.

[@Brett_S_420]

It is a crazy condition. I have mirror-touch. If you are interested I wrote a bit about mine in the comments here as well. Cheers!

[@katherinetutschek4757]

Sounds like you had a good balance of this ability- enough to help you but not so much as to make life difficult.

[@jimaanders7527]

There are a lot of books on improving one's memory. I've been intending to get one but when I go to the mall, I forget about it.

[@DarkEagle-vx9hd]

That's a vicious cycle... lol

[@richardmatta58]

Until was in college I had something of an eidetic memory, I could look at a page of a book and more or less recall what it said and where on the page, though the memory slowly faded over days and weeks. It was like turning pages in my mind. Helped greatly on exams, or when I forgot to do a homework assignment and scanned though the pages right before class. (Yes, I could recall the words on a page without actually reading it, but could not recall a verbal assignment). I was surprised other people could not do it. It was a shock to go to law school, where reading and memorizing are critical, only to find that I had to start doing it the old fashioned way.

[@uss_04]

Everyone has photographic memory. Some just don’t have any films…. Time to update that joke

[@davidasher22]

Disk space? Lol

[@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88]

Some just have a full/broken memory card

[@drboze6781]

Some are slow developers.

[@terryarmbruster7986]

The age of people's thoughts in the clouds and memories in the cloud.

[@tiredofliars]

Some just don't livestream!

[@Brett_S_420]

I have synesthesia. My version of it (there are many) doesn't help to memorize things. I have what is called "mirror-touch synesthesia", where I feel the same physical sensations that something/someone else feels when I touch them. It's a weird thing I mostly don't tell people about (never told people about, until I learned it was an actual condition) because it sounds crazy to someone else when you tell them about it. It works on anything that is alive and feels from a bug to a cat to especially people. It mostly works only when using my hands and can go through clothing and such up to a point. I feel both good and bad sensations and it happens instantaneously (I don't go around punching people). The condition has been mainly a good thing, but I have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and have trouble with maths like many others with this condition. I am excellent at giving a massage (You can imagine where that goes) and can even tell where someone is hurting and generally why by touching them near the area causing pain. Unfortunately, I have suffered a bit of a loss of my ability in my dominant hand after getting frostbite from an especially wet and cold bicycle ride without proper gloves. It still works, just not as well. Cheers!

[@interestingwiki7006]

Concentrates on booty for 20 secs *Next 2 weeks “Awww yeah”*

[@michaels7258]

Gigity

[@programmingboy7737]

I relate to this on a spiritual level.

[@tc2241]

I never forget an as-set

[@nguyenduyphuc3924]

The right way you're supposed to use this power

[@imSTRANGEmaybeCRAZY]

Could you do a video on aphantasia it’s not having a “minds eye” you can’t visualize anything so nothing like a mind palace would work

[@halloweenallyearround4889]

One of my aunts has painful memory for both her and the people around her. It can be very draining listening to her go over and over the same topic criticising people one's never met because they died when she was a child, or before she was born when she recites acounts given by other people. She remembers every detail including the weather of any given day and has held grudges for her entire life. She collects them. She had cysticercosis as a teenager and she and her doctor devised a lot of memory excercises for her to recover. That's one of the reasons she's like that. Though her siblings including my mother claim that she was always very sharp, creative and as quick witted as she is now. My grandpa had insane good memory but it wasn't like hers. He just liked reading the same non-fiction books over and over, reciting facts and analising historical and political events. He was passionate about such things. My dad has always tried to make people think that he's got graphic memory but he uses pnemotechnia and is in general full of BS. I'm autistic and time doesn't seem to pass but I don't have anything resembling graphic memory. It's just easy to remember a lot of things, useful and not. Some painful things and regular events remain fresh, it can be too much emotionally. And some very painful and shocking things I forget immediately unless I write them down. Up until I was like 10 I found it really odd that other people didn't have clear memories from when they were infants. I have executive and propioception disorders. As well as directional dyslexia and situational mutism. Funnily enough I can copy body movements in physical sports and crafts accurately without trying, but don't ask me to react quickly because it's not gonna happen.

[@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88]

A taxi driver who drank himself to death. It's sad because you can guess he did it to drown out the synesthesia. And it's scary he was driving people around for a living while drinking and driving. If you've ever known an alcoholic they will drink regardless of the consequences.

[@randybobandy9828]

Yes I do know a alcoholic. He is currently 34 and weighs 370lbs. He eats absolute garbage and gets drunk every night and gets blackout drunk on his days off. He has no interest in changing or getting healthy..literally zero interest. He hasn't had sex in 15 years and that isn't by choice. He just doesn't care..he drinks and smokes weed(which isn't very bad for your health) and plays video games. Zero goals in his life. Last year was when he finally moved out of his parents house(age 33). He didn't think he needed to "waste" money on paying rent or a mortgage...aka more money for booze. It's sad really but we all make our own choices.

[@VeyronBD]

I live in ireland, pretty much every man over 30 is an alchoholic

[@ForsakenDNL]

Lmao

[@rogerknights857]

He meant to say “when children learn to express themselves VERBALLY…”, not “visually.”

[@HungLikeScrat]

No, he meant what he said. Children learn to use visual aides as a way to express themselves, like "that's as blue as the sky" or "that smells like a New York dumpster in the summer heat".

[@rogerknights857]

@@HungLikeScrat Here are Whistler’s exact words, starting at 4:33. They do not support your interpretation. “Harber theorized that in the absence of sophisticated language skills, young children depend more on visual imagery for memory processing. As children learn to express themselves VISUALLY [should be “verbally”] and thus more abstractly, they rely less and less on visual memory.”

[@hydrolito]

@@rogerknights857 Expressing themselves visually could be drawing a picture, abstract picture does not necessarily make any sense.

[@KaiHenningsen]

@@rogerknights857 While I have no idea what Whistler (or his writer) meant, I'd say that those words do, find fact, support @Bruce Ferguson 's interpretation.

[@RDSwords]

One thing I will never forget is Simon pronouncing Wookie.

[@MrInFiNiTyH4WK]

Having not yet watched it I am very curious how that word shows up

[@mikebar42]

Take a picture 🖼️ 😂🤗

[@briancalhoun1895]

It's "Loci", not "Wookie" but Google won't let you spell it right anyways!

[@raphaelmetayer1122]

Tayeule

[@mizztab3677]

Years ago a network tv show was coming out in which the main character had hyperthymesia. At the time real people who had what was called “auto-biographical” memory were also being interviewed. I remember the woman in the video being interviewed and how not being able to forget had effected her life. Also actress MariLou Henner was interviewed as she also has hyperthymesia. The series titled “Unforgettable” lasted 4 seasons and if I remember correctly Marilou Henner made guest appearances. I think she may also have been somewhat involved in the development of the series.

[@Raptorifik]

Your use of the term "merely" in this case is astonishing.

[@EclecticDD]

There's a book called Moonwalking with Einstein where the author follows a mnemonist and goes with him to memory competitions. He learns the techniques (such as the memory palace) and ends up winning one of the competitions.

[@dianecheney4141]

I’m dyslexic. And exercising my memory was a adaptive skill. If you can’t read you have to figure out how to fake it. You learn to recognize patterns. I have a friend also dyslexic who had an eidetic memory. After I finally learned to read, my memory wasn’t as good

[@daple1997]

I still struggle with reading at 24. My schooling forced me to read well. But my speed is still a lot less than average. Edit: the speed part

[@celstark]

Thank you for getting this right! It’s rare to see this so well covered and accurate. (For many years, all of the HSAM or hyper thymnesia research was done in my lab).

[@Marco_Onyxheart]

I might be mildly savantic. I am autistic, and my semantic memory is definitely better than my episodic memory. I find it difficult to remember my past. I don't usually encode, although I've used it by accident a few times. The effect was uncomfortably strong. Entire areas in video games or the real world ended up encoded with facts that overwhelmed me when I entered said areas. I'm also good at tech stuff (am in fact an engineer), but bad at social stuff.

[@mjmulenga3]

I'm not quite at that level, but my semantic memory is far above average and my episodic is somewhat below average. I know more than a hundred phone numbers by heart without making any specific effort, but I routinely forget to finish work or deliver messages.

[@andrewfischer8564]

mary lou henner can remember any thing she has ever done. and its been verified

[@craigmiller8833]

I thought of her too. Is this not part of this conversation??

[@DragonGateDesign]

That is the hyper thalmeasia thing

[@craigmiller8833]

@@DragonGateDesign oh , thanks

[@queefstroganoff2643]

And then theres those savant twins who are/ were able to remember like everything as well.

[@craigmiller8833]

@@queefstroganoff2643 I had forgotten about that. Your right

[@RolandTechnicalDesigner]

I've forgotten how awesome this channel is, soo much eye opening info so quick

[@damienblack1734]

I had a great professor who said that you may be able to memorize something, but that doesn’t you mean you understand it. I would rather have the power of comprehension rather simply great memory. After all, I can take notes, and use a computer to save stuff. Lol

[@songpoetry1]

This is the issue I've always had. I can memorize things well, but that doesn't necessarily help me. It's especially noticeable in math: I can memorize a formula, but I struggle to understand the concept behind it. As soon as the formula needs to be altered even a little bit, I am right back to being confused. People assume that I'm smart because I remember a vast variety of random information, but when they expect it to be practically applicable, I often fail to meet their expectations. Memorization is really just a small part of true intelligence.

[@ooee8088]

Memorization is quick, true understanding takes time. I was also told that by my favorite professor

[@ehrichweiss]

I used to know someone who had a real "photographic" memory. She was from India and ran a restaurant in town. She could remember every little thing about you, how you liked your food, etc. and she was never wrong and it didn't seem to be episodic either. Unfortunately she moved back to India a couple years ago to take care of her brother in law but I think some of my friends know how to reach her. Maybe I'll see if she can get tested. She'd blow your mind because she surely blew mine.

[@hulkslayer626]

"I'm not a plagiarist, I just have a photographic memory" ...well if you remember it, it already exists and then you wrote about it, hence the plagiarism part. And if you have a 'photographic' memory, then you remember where you know it from as well, so you can't claim you don't know where you know it from lol

[@anthonymendoza1327]

I knew a gal with a photographic memory and she said exactly what you said: That it was hard to maintain relationships because she remembered everything negative that other people ever did. She thought of it as more of a curse than any kind of benefit.

[@Songfugel]

This is rather interesting, particularly the connection between long time memory and episodic memory. I have experienced something similar, even when it was a trained ability, and not one I was born with. When I started to seriously study the Japanese Kanji Characters, I was learning and using various memory techniques to upload enormous amounts of new type of information in my memory. What I had not expected however, is that my grasp of everyday events deteriorated immensely during that time, and I couldn't remember even the events of that or the previous day well, and I was living almost like in a daze. Even now, while I still remember extremely clearly the characters, the notebooks I used, the locations where I learned which character and almost every conversation I had with anyone about those characters, I still have very hazy memories from that whole period of time other than things directly related to those characters. Even when someone describes to me in detail the events I was present, and even seeing photos, I have only the vaguest memory of having been there Once I actively stopped mass memorizations, my episodic memory slowly returned, but never to full strength, and now 15 years later, I still have a lot of trouble with it. However, memorizing and recalling specific information comes to me very easily even now, even if I didn't think I had paid too much attention to it and was exposed to the information only once. Sadly it doesn't work with images at all, and I have found out that also my ability to remember and conjure images for drawing has actually deteriorated since then

[@LyaksandraB]

The burden of too many memories that can't be forgotten sounds like AI rampancy from Halo.

[@Yezpahr]

0:55 I guess a katana is a necessary kitchen tool nowadays.

[@arekpetrosian4965]

Hey, you never know when it might come in handy.

[@joshduthie3401]

Lol, I missed that on first viewing. How bizarre.

[@williamopry7967]

My ex was a stenographer/typist for a large company in the early eighties. I’ve seen her scan dozens of pages of hand written notes and then set down and type out the pages. Didn’t have to be her notes. On the down side she couldn’t find her keys in her hand. Phenomenal memory for written or printed things. She could also remember pretty much every conversation she ever had. Couldn’t find her way around in Dallas after living there most of her life.

[@thirdwheel1985au]

I'm imagining Shereshevsky in his cab with a sign that says "do not talk to the driver" and tapping on it whenever someone asks how his day is.

[@Heartwing37]

I can’t remember what I did an hour ago. My memory is not photogenic. 😂

[@AFishNamedBob]

So your memory looks bad in pictures?

[@wellesradio]

Maybe you should comb your hair and change the filter, then your memory might look a bit better.

[@geoffstrickler]

I have a photogenic memory. I rarely forget seeing a photogenic image. 😁 But my memory definitely isn’t as good as I remember it being.

[@AaronLitz]

I like the idea of Photogenic Memory much better than that of the fictional Photographic Memory. :)

[@indianasb59]

Photographic memory is a haunting ability. I’m glad that you cut so much to speed your videos up to make it less like a real experience of information.

[@sammencia7945]

There are about 50 people with hyperthymesia. Ask them about a date and they tell you what clothes they wore. My memory is one level below that but better than just about anyone you know. It makes people think I am spying on them because I remember actions behavior and patterns. I constantly remind myself that everyone else lives in a brainfog of only recent events, forgetting even the conversation they had 15 minutes prior. I keep it to myself so you do not suspect, as it freaks people out. It has, however, enabled me to live a rich life with many careers on many continents.

[@aaronsomek]

Pfft I can do that. Black jeans, black t-shirt. Any date. Of course, I always wear the same thing.

[@davidtucker3729]

high intelligence is its own curse sometimes. Someone with a stupid grin on their face may truly be enjoying life, too stupid to know the level of $%i! they are in. Thanks Simon

[@Theprofessorator]

As an auditory learner I can somewhat relate to this. I never looked at the teacher and I never took notes I just doodled. However, if called upon I could recite back whatever they'd just said or answer their question. That being said when it came to read information, I'd lose it in an instant. And let me tell you, women love no eye contact and being able to recite everything they just said when they think you aren't listening back at them.

[@RebelCowboysRVs]

This is me. I could sit through class with my book closed and just listen. A week or two later I could take the test and get most of it right. I never felt like I was activly remembering what was said, I would just feal that I somehow knew. But I have to read the same page of a book several times to get what it says to sink in. And that is temporary and counteed what I learned from hearing it in class. If I study for a test, I would usually fail.

[@chadfalardeau5396]

I was the same, i couldn't recite it verbatim but I could recall the relevant data.

[@D3M3NT3Dstrang3r]

Yes women love that alot. Well you heard what I said but were you actually listening. Yes um no um kind of, hey I heard all of it lol.

[@Jorlaan42]

I have been building my memory palace since I was like 13 and read Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal has one and it sounded like a great way to remember things and somewhere to go when people are boring you. Helps at the dentist too.

[@shawnburke3427]

What I like best about this channel is the full exploration of subjects I wanted to learn more about but didn't have time to research.

[@joncoker7731]

What about muscle memory? As a piano player I can play pieces I learnt 30 years ago with little or no mistakes without thinking (actually having the sheet music in front of me makes it harder!)

[@celstark]

It’s called “implicit” or “non declarative” memory and is the same kind of thing as touch typing.

[@bozhijak]

Now that is something tangible and can be measured.

[@lukeseguin1875]

I've met people who can play tunes they've never played before after hearing it one time. Perfect pitch and eidetic memory for pitches. If you don't have perfect pitch would and perfect memory would you even know if you made a mistake?

[@satoshinakamoto7253]

my friends and I are scientists, polyglots and good at sports (etc.) I wouldn't say it's photographic memory, more like curiosity and knowing the fundamental laws about each thing

[@theofficialdiamondlou2418]

Same here. I can play everything I played as a teen just as good or better. Like I’ve played it all my life. It’s like the whole band just jumps in my head and I just jam along like it was 35 years ago. Or I’ll be on stage and someone will request something I’ve NEVER played , but I’ve heard before (on the radio or whatever ) and just start jamming it. Here’s an example , mind you we had all played this song years before , but never together. We also only had a few people watching , so we figured why the heck not. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZvVZ4B4j5Wtq68 🤠🎸🎶🤙

[@midlifeduck7040]

Is the Brainfood show still going? No episodes in like 4 months. The 4 part series was the last I saw

[@BVtok26]

So many things to say about my personal experience with synesthesia but I'll keep it to just the things about memory. In middle school I used to pull out a similar long term party trick of having someone write down 10 things on a small piece of paper, letting me look at it for a minute or two, and giving it back to them. I would tell them to put it in their wallet and ask me what was on the list in a week and I always got it right. I later expanded it to a month and later three months by HS. I also increased the number of items from 10 to 30 over the same amount of time. I could also juggle two to three different lists held in my memory banks at the same time. I could probably have done more but I didn't want to lose my streak of always being 100% accurate. What I was doing was attaching each item to the number that it was on the list. And since each number and letter are people with different personalities the scene created itself. As a backup I was also memorizing the combination of colors of the words on the page. If there were multiple lists going then I would integrate the person holding onto the list in the interaction with the number-people. It's like remembering layers of information that you could crosscheck if you lost part of it. Like if I forgot what the 26th item was on David's list I could usually remember the colors...that it started green and reddish black so it started with "gra" but then got pink leading to more lushly green, dark red again to a light beige then yellow/brown at the end which would let me sorta sound it out until I would be like, "oh ok, the world was grapefruit" and I would remember that the memory I had created was the people 2, 6, and David eating grapefruits together (2 liked it with sugar on it (she likes everything with sugar on it) but 6 didn't like it at all but was forcing himself to eat it because it was supposedly healthy for you, while David's face was swelling up cuz he's allergic to grapefruits). With this it felt like I could pack a short term memory bundle and make it long term if I wanted to. How I learned to do this at like eleven years old, how is the memory of the color order almost always there even when the letters themselves aren't, I'm not sure. Still to this day when trying to recall someone's name the colors of their name are always there and I have to fish out the matching letters that would make that color pattern... which and be rough cuz a few letters are similar in color. I could sort of do the same thing with my notebook. I either would never have to study for a test or would only have to study once for... a couple of minutes?, 10 to 30min max, just enough to flip through the pages and memorize the colors and the scenes that were playing out with the interactions of the letters and on each page. It made it so I would ace every quiz and test easily cuz every test was an open book test. I knew which page on my notebook the answer was on so I would just flip to that page in my head and see what colors I saw. I would sound it out and/or watch the scene unfold. If ANYTHING was multiple choice the right answer was the only one in remotely the right color order. I mean I still had to pay attention in class to understand the logic behind the topic at hand like in math or science and I had to take good notes but once I wrote it down it was like writing it in my head. I wasn't a straight A student though. I was really bad at long term projects like term papers and book reports. Huge procrastinator and a very slow reader because every word had so much information in it. My main weakness though was...and still is... If I can't read or write down the information when I first learn it, then I can't hold on to it. I need to see it so I can see the people and colors. Anything said verbally to me like a person's name goes in one ear and right out the other instantly unless they have a name tag on or if I can write it down in the air with my finger (I learned that trick MUCH later in life). Also I have ZERO talent when it comes to music. Idk how anybody does it, it looks like absolute magic to me. I don't understand scales or notes and I actually don't listen to music because it's sometimes overwhelming to hear more than a song or two in a row. Overall math, science, art, and language classes were easy and I excelled in them (applied concepts, puzzles, equations, facts, reproducing what you saw, rote memorization, tests, and quizzes ::chef's kiss::) but english, history, and music were harder or impossible for the latter (lots and lots of reading, interpretation in long winded essays, verbal discussions about topics with no real right answer, long term projects ::hiss::, . . . sound?? what is that even...where are the people? There is some color but it's somehow faint and at the same time also overly bright...like colored lights instead of paint like numbers and letters are. It's also somehow overwhelming and reverberating in my head too that sometimes becomes painful). . . . hmm I never was able to describe it so well...Yes!, Words and numbers are like a painting to me, colors and people depicting a scene. Songs are like being in an empty room with a colored strobe light flashing in your face, even though some can be pretty you could only take lights flashing in your eyes for so long before you wanted out. This was all before I knew that synesthesia had a word to it, I didn't find out until college that there were others like me. Also I'm sure other things are going on in there beside synesthesia but that's a topic for another day.

[@earlyriser8998]

i loved the topic and learned alot from your breakdown of the different type of memory feats

[@historylife4436]

Marilu Henner who starred in the US show Taxi has a near perfect memory of every day of her life. Look her up it is crazy!

[@Games_and_Music]

She does, i heard an interview with her on the Gilbert Gottfried podcast and if someone mentions a date, she automatically calculates it back to the year and day, must he terribly annoying and astonishing at the same time.

[@celstark]

She’s one of the HSAM or hyper thymnesia individuals.

[@davidjacobs8558]

I’ll only believe their claim, if they can read bible length book, and write the entire thing from memory with no error.

[@MindinViolet]

I have lost count of how many people I have met who have claimed to have a photographic or eidetic memory, only to promptly forget something.

[@HungLikeScrat]

It isn't that they forgot, sometimes when they're put on the spot they clam up or they're distracted by something else. I'm really bad at being questioned in person. I know all the answers to your questions, but when I'm put on the spot I freeze. Other times I know the answer, but something distracts me and an hour later I'm like "oh, by the way, the volcano at Pompeii was called Vesuvius". It's not that I forgot, I just had other stuff on my mind. I'll remember later that you'd asked me a question and I'll answer it.

[@AnthonyScottGames]

Much like psychic who introduces herself then asks “what is your name?” Lol

[@jacksquat2067]

I'm not sure photographic memories are a thing, but I do know that my own memory is very visual. I have trouble with things like dates and names, but I do remember images extremely well, and those images have a tendency to trigger memory recall. I've been an artist for 30 years and worked as a comic book artist for a while. One strange thing that would often happen is that I'd pencil a page while listening to the tv, and when I'd go over it with ink the next day (or sometimes a week later), I'd experience a mental playback of what was being said on the tv during the penciling stage.

[@pilin3965]

I don’t know about all that. My other can tell you what everyone was wearing, for a xmas party, 20 years ago. I, myself, can get back to just about anywhere having driven there once, without use of a map or directions. I also have spacial memory where I can recall the layout of a room or building having only been there once or twice.

[@mafmax8874]

This is insane. My dad is exactly the same. When we were very small he told us this fact in the car that he only goes to a destination once and never forgets it - just the positive idea formed in my mind as a child and to this day I can recall rooms like you and directions without GPS

[@Arckivio]

You said that Steven Wiltshire didn't quite have a photographic memory as his drawings aren't 100% accurate. Maybe he's not quite as skilled at drawing as he is at remembering?

[@Varizen87]

I am pretty sure I have Hyperthymesia. I first learned about it a few years ago on Scishow. And I do have a lot of depression issues linked to reliving certain times over and over again. Hyperthymesia might be more common however, because it's just rarely diagnosed because people typically don't run to a doctor for having a good memory. But my life experiences are exactly as Simon described. But I do not have a photographic memory.

[@Shauma_llama]

I work with a guy who you can ask about the details of a meeting that you've forgotten, he can tell you what was said, who was there, what they wore, what the weather was like, etc. That's the good side. The down side is he says he's living in one long day, as described in the video, and that bad things that happened are still fresh memories that don't fade away.

[@terrygrossmann2295]

I have seen her in interviews discussing her ability.

[@Varizen87]

@@Shauma_llama That is EXACTLY my life experience. It's all one big long day. Breakups from a decade ago still feel like yesterday.

[@TheThoams]

This sounds like maybe you have PTSD? Ask your doctor about it. Wishing you the best.

[@Varizen87]

@@TheThoams It’s not PTSD. I don’t have any traumatic experiences of that level. It’s likely undiagnosed Hyperthymesia. I have been aware my memory was different since high school. It’s never been crippling though I have shocked people by describing mundane details from years before.

[@TheCassy6]

A man from my home village categorizes his memories by date not event. When asked about the "event that happened", he starts by recollecting the date, then what happened that day. Often hour by hour. It's interesting to listen to him describe things from the past since he views them differently. Everybody remembers the "great fire", but he remembers the dates from the first spark until the rain finally killed the last smoldering coals.

[@patricksanders858]

Can you imagine remembering every episode of every tv show youve ever seen? Every name, face and details? Never ever lose track of anything, ever?

[@justarandomname420]

That majestic beard apeaks

[@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88]

apeaks? proofread my friend, proofread after posting a comment. it's saved me numerous times!

[@justarandomname420]

@@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88 know

[@Big_Tex]

Btw on the other end of the spectrum, some people have a condition called aphantasia in which they cannot see images in their imagination at all. They have no "mind's eye". I have a Facebook friend like this (fittingly enough he's a well-known computer programmer. He thinks in code.) What's interesting about these folks is they often go through life not even realizing they lack an ability the rest of us have. I've read tales of these people being in their 20s or 30s before it sinks in that when other people speak of mental images or the mind's eye, they're referring to a real thing and not just talking nonsense.

[@fearvo]

100% I'm told by people that I am lucky because I forget traumatic events. It's very hard for me to learn some things but on the whole I'm pretty happy to have it.

[@chriscamden9909]

I have this and didn't know it until i was in my 40's. I've always known i can't "picture something" when asked to, but didn't realize it was meant to be literal. People ask "how do you remember things if you can't picture it?" I can't explain how because i've never been able to see how other human"s minds picture things i guess? I have a pretty good memory and i don't think it has ever been a handicap to me.

[@josephhesse2634]

Wait, what you mean by see it? I can imagine it but hardly see something

[@suecox2308]

Fascinating--thank you!

[@mbgrafix]

The actress, *Marilu Henner,* best known for her role as _Elaine Nardo_ on the hit TV show from the 70s, *Taxi,* was featured on the *December 19, 2010* episode of *60 Minutes* where she demonstrated her extraordinary memory abilities ( _hyperthymesia_ ).

[@richg2250]

Damn, you beat me to it.

[@Other_Jeremy]

TIL I'm a mnemonist. I beat the record for digits of pi memorized in my highschool by memorizing blocks of 10 digits as phone numbers.

[@Brett_S_420]

How is that working with cell phones saving everyone's numbers now? I know I used to keep about 30 phone numbers in my head and now I have to try to memorize my own. Just curious.

[@Other_Jeremy]

@@Brett_S_420 I don't. I have 3 contacts saved to my phone.

[@leothelion69]

Come to think of it even Sherlock Holmes uses a mind palace technique, along with natural brains and ability sure.

[@Aaron-iz3hk]

Thank you. I do the same with numbers and letters. They are male or female, have character, and know and feel certain ways about each other. I didn't know it was called synesthesia. I recall telling my parents and other adults (1980's) and getting laughed at or ignored.

[@valormyth]

Simon needs to get his own tv show! Dude makes these topics more interesting to watch!

It's real, I take a memory picture of the text I want to recall and later read the text from the memory picture. I remember product prices, addresses, even what is in my fridge. It's great.

[@randybobandy9828]

Doubt it.

@@randybobandy9828 Amazing, to think you would know me better than I know myself. Pray tell, what is my shoe size?

[@randybobandy9828]

@ if you claimed your shoe size was 15 I would call bullshit too.

Side-step the question why don't you 🙄

[@celstark]

Having a great visual memory is one thing. But try this - browse to a website in another language, look at it for only a second or two, turn away and try to write it all out on a piece of paper. It won’t work. If it does, please contact me offline. I’m a memory researcher who has studied all of the hyper thymnesia individuals and would love to have a true case of photographic memory.

[@andreadiamond7115]

This is tough to “get” when you’re fresh home from Friday happy hour and pleasantly high 😂✌🏼❤️

[@Daniel_Paterson]

I have autism and I'm able to retain incredible amounts of information regarding Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Marvel, Doctor Who and other pop culture properties (books, comics, films, shows etc.), as well as seemingly random information, much like that which is covered in videos like these. The downside with having the ability to retain a near perfect recollection of this information is that I have a poor memory when it comes to standard memories; I can retain information/facts about people and the situations I experience, but I can't remember them in the same way someone else might be able to. Having autism also means that I'm shit at communication and interpersonal relationships which makes life a whole lot harder. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. :)

[@tss9886]

So my ability to close my eyes and envision where an object any member of my family is looking for is, isn't magical...darn.

[@auntmaddie]

My school figured I had an eidetic in 5th grade. They taught me ASL for 6 months then tested in 8th and 11th grades. I still know it. Meh. They also called me a genius and contacted Mensa. What a joke. I'm an idiot. I had a bunch of testing done. Paperwork reads well but I am in fact still an fool.

[@sandeesandwich2180]

The actress Marilu Henner is reported to have an eidetic memory.

[@Thickcurves]

Lots of people claim to have Eidetic memory. It's especially common for actors to claim such because people constantly praise them, inflating their ego. She also doesn't claim to have eidetic memory, but hyperthymesia .

[@Sebasti44n]

This is so recognizable. I also forget all every day occurrences in my life and have no episodic memory.

[@PGar58]

I have a mix of these. And I can tell you it truly is a mixed bag of benefit and torment, for lack of a better work.

[@richardhalter8671]

All wives have Eidetic memories, never forget that

[@cernowaingreenman]

Forget what??? Oh sh^t!

[@barryjobe]

Researching this phenom for a mystery novel I've been writing, I found that there have been seven (7) confirmed cases. They even have a scientific name for it, though I don't recall this offhand

[@lily-joyheal9954]

I love watching these videos after a marathon of business blaze

[@michaelhunter81]

Back when i was in college I was able to remember word for word every lecture that was given, every speech i had, every song i heard. Even text written on a board. I never cracked open a book or took notes. I graduated as a magna cum laude. So is what I once had episodic memory or perhaps hyperthymesia as i can still recall countless events in my life? Unfortunately the years seem to have not been kind as I did not retain that memory over the years. I can still remember conversation I had but only at a fraction of what I once could do.

[@Copa-]

I just want to memorize my study’s so I don’t fail my tests... is that to much to ask 😭

[@birchlinwood213]

As far I can see, another ability we take, another has to be given away.

[@Rufus2468]

Simon always sounds like he's bored, just rushing to get through his lines so he can go home for the day.

[@wiredwrong760]

My memory allows me to recall conversions I last had with people I had not seen in years, or remember events and actions that others had no clue to remember but I had known the events and recalled them still. I have ran into players in wow sometime later having remembered him at a lower level. I had been able to more or less recall events that he had remembered accurately after recall of it over a year later.

[@GABRIELLUCERO1]

I used to be able to remember everything not as pictures but color video until my 40's. It was a curse I felt like I was going insane because it would not let me sleep. Laying in bed I would review everything I has seen or done before sleeping. It started to fade in my late 30's, color video became black and white, then I could only remember color pictures that turned to black and white pictures. I got to a point that I was forgetting things I had just done. I am not sure why but I did have an accident in 2006 where the doctors gave me very strong drugs that made my life worse. I had surgery to fix my problems last year and my memory has improved but my memory is no where near what is used to be. Yes it was great not forgetting anything but when I was young I believed everyone was like me and wondered how people did not go insane, I always said to myself "these people have more restraint that me so if they can do it I have to.

[@jbc242424]

Always thought "photographic memory" is a misnomer. It's just called having a good memory.

[@jamesbizs]

There is a hell of a difference between a good memory, and what people consider a photographic memory.

[@williamb4652]

I always imagined that a photographic memory meant that you could look at a page of a book, remember what it looked like, and then, when asked what was on the page, READ what was on the page whose image you had stored

[@HungLikeScrat]

I was tested for eidetic memory at age 19 in 1997. My psychologist confirmed I did in fact have it. After several traumatic brain injuries (thanks to the Army) my memory isn't what it used to be, but it's still better than most people's. This video is inaccurate.

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

I suffered a TBI 4 years ago, and I lost my identity/memory (and a lot of basic functions) for a while, but as my mind started to 'heal' (re-wire) itself, my friends and I began to notice that certain aspects of my memory had taken on eidetic qualities. I don't have health insurance to get seen by a neurologist, so I've just been documenting it myself, but mine is primarily auditory (being able to play/notate entire songs after a single listen, languages that I'd only tangentially studied became easy, I started 'memorising' conversations/TV show dialogue/lyrics in a kind of instantaneous/automatic way). Another part of the recovery was recognising that I could suddenly do math/science that I certainly never learned/studied/had any interest or skill in before. I mention that because that underlying 'structural skill set' feels like what has made the eidetic aspects possible. Sort of like, once you learn the alphabet, you can write any word you hear, even if you don't know the word itself. I'm probably explaining this poorly, but I know that at least some aspects of eidetic memory are possible--though it doesn't look 'exactly' like what people expect it to be... I'm excited for neurological research to catch up with the evidence.

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

Y'know, I never thought about the fact that maybe it developed because I lost a lot of language capacity for several months... the 3-D graph/picture thinking that I do seems to have replaced what was formerly 'linear thinking/expression' skills. Without having to 'reduce memories to words/text', it's like my mind just keeps the 3-D picture instead, so instead of remembering my 'reduction', I just capture the whole 'thing' now and refer back to it in my mind, bypassing the 'wordy summary' stage of recall.

[@give_me_my_nick_back]

My friend had that freaky photographic memory, he would once recall things like a brand and placement of a pendrive and other objects on my desk when he visited me once 3 years prior - seamed legit as that's where I'd usually put it.

[@_SimpleJack_]

I'll never be able to forget that horrible, repetitive background music.

[@svenwagner4717]

Confusing video this time. So basically they dissected the term, created new conditions and explanations to conclude it does not exist? That is just semantics. It does not disprove people remembering things they should not. You just gave it a different name and assigned several illnesses to it as the cause. So you defined, widened and changed the term, not the premise.

[@benistingray6097]

My thought exactly!

[@minus100plus2]

The brain is fascinating. This was another great video I didn't know I needed until after I finished watching. Thanks!

[@garrysshelton]

A thought or two about my own sort of 'Photographic Memory' - After appearing somewhat 'Dull' compared to others in my early School Years, my Third Grade Teacher, a Mrs. Knight, became aware I was actually pretty bright, and just needed Glasses to see the board up front - Yeah, not seeing it well, my mind drifted and yet I could recall what I heard, but needed to be seated closer to the action or get some Glasses - She encouraged me to read, a lot, and this is what I am getting to - I read SO much (and continue to do so!) I never in my life had to study up for Spelling Tests - I would occasionally miss a word or two, but almost always Aced these types of Tests! - It has been my experience a word just "Looked wrong", and I'd rewrite it until it somehow "Looked right" - So that is sort of like 'Photographic Memory', and later on, even Electronic Formuae became quite easy - There's my two cents on the subject, now inflation adjusted to .05 in current Currency - TY for the Vids!

[@wolf359loki]

Actress Marilu Henner, best known for her role as Elaine Nardo in the hit sitcom Taxi, has a highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM), a rare condition shared by only 100 people worldwide. ... The condition is most common in children and tends to go away in adulthood.

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

For me, it is easier to forget than to remember. Taking notes really helps a lot

[@lisagrant5393]

Ive been watching so much business blaze recently that im worried at how calm simon is...

[@jacksavage4098]

Imagine remembering everything that happens day after day. Then you suffer the loss of a spouse or child, parent. What a curse.

[@arekpetrosian4965]

But then you could recall every single good thing in your life, with perfect clarity, and focus on those.