What It's Like to Have a Near-Perfect Memory

[@mattomanx77]

I already remember bad moments in excruciating detail, don't we all? Would be nice to remember good things too

[@flibbernodgets7018]

I wonder how much your brain alters these memories though. Maybe the bad ones weren't as bad as you thought, for example

[@drizzlingrose]

Don't you remember fondly when you got your first gaming console? :D

[@brokenacoustic]

Just think of all the sexual experiences you could relive! Actually that could be really bad too.... lol

[@MyrtleNyx]

I was taught by my psychologist in the early 2000's that this is a normal response from the brain. That no matter how much it sucks, you will always remember the bad stuff first . This is because your brain wishes for you not to experience those bad things again and wants you to learn from those experiences. This is also why he always insisted we have long sessions because we could get past the bad stuff and try to look for the positives.

[@porkeyminch8044]

Same here. They say you don't want perfect memory because you'll remember bad stuff, but we remember plenty of bad stuff anyway, so why not remember everything else too?

[@rea8585]

I was gonna say something but I forgot what.

[@dorupero]

I was gonna say something but I forgot what.

[@daemonace5910]

I.....wait.

[@dorupero]

@Ecumenopolis Lol if you're convinced go see a doctor

[@Jared7873]

@Ecumenopolis 😓

[@zodiacfml]

that's thought provoking

[@UnstoppableGrin]

I've been diagnosed with OCD (since I was 15 years old) and I have a pretty good memory myself but obviously not to the degree of hyperthymesia. When I was younger, I would get annoyed whenever I would have the same conversation with friends and family and I couldn't empathize with most people's inability to recount the same story. I also held a lot of resentment whenever my friends or family couldn't remember something and felt it was futile to do anything because there was no point if they weren't going to remember it anyway. After going through IV chemo (at 19) and experiencing what is commonly referred to as "chemo brain," I've since been able to empathize with most people's memories and how things just slip by.

[@sharpnova2]

this victim-oriented humble bragging is so tiring and cringe.

[@abcdefzhij]

@@sharpnova2 Lmao

[@emilysmith2965]

Sorry for that one ugly commenter who clearly didn’t LEARN ANYTHING from this video. It’s not “bragging” when you truthfully say that you have an excellent memory and it’s a goddamn burden. I relate very hard to what you’re saying. It can be exhausting to try and have new experiences with your friends and loved ones, only to have those people forget almost everything. It can make you feel like no one has anything interesting or new to say in the entire world. That’s not a life experience that anyone else needs to envy. It’s good that your new life experiences have taught you increased patience. It’s a very difficult skill to practice in this situation. I commend you for your honesty about this, and hope you’re doing well - and still in remission - today.

[@jordanphilipperris]

Especially with DVDs and stuff that I have already seen and the placement of a fair number of objects that I have seen at least a few times, I had a pretty amazing memory, same with describing a movie bit by bit where I would only forget a very few number of things from time to time but end up recalling them a bit later, even when describing just a few minutes or so of a movie I could give a detailed play by play of it, like when my mom had to take care of something for a few minutes when we were watching the first Scorpion king movie, I only forgot to mention about how the inventor guy finish making his bomb like creation. As for my Achilles heels, they include direction, the messed up rules in spelling for the english language which just jumbles up tons of stuff for me and usually when trying to remember the names of people and places, but as for the rest, it seems that it can pretty much be blamed by mild Dyslexia. In regards to events in my life, what frustrated and hurt me the most was the lack of empathy from others due to their lack of being able to remember what I said as well as the emotion behind it and just not really being able to get what I went through during certain points in my life. I know this because their tones, vibes and responses told me everything that I needed to know. But, anyways, bit by bit after by first Covid case, I have a notably harder time remembering things from the past and present moments, at least consciously anyways, and who knows about one of the biggest mysteries of all, the subconscious. Anyways, my memory loss and reduced ability to remember new stuff seemed to have level off since early this year though and things don't seem to be worse anymore, but it seems now that in many regards I too have downgraded to that type of memory, but of course I am still just as bad at the stuff that I am terrible with, lolz. Anyways, thinking back to how good my memory use to be, at least for me anyways, it can get dark, empty, scary and depressing at times. In these and other ways I kind of feel like I did back when I was on these pills, but not to life ruining levels, thank the good lord above for that. Personally myself, I thought it was just simply one of those, I am in my 40s thing, so that is just what tends to happen to most with me not being an exception to the rule, but later on when I thought about the timing, I started to second guess that. If it ever starts getting worse again, I am probably gonna see a doctor because one of my biggest nightmares is eventually having something like Alzheimers, not just for me but for others who would have to deal with all the trials that would come along with it. Anyways, thanks so much for sharing your story and hopefully you are now completely cancer free😎

[@user-vn7ce5ig1z]

Super-memory isn't all it's cracked up to be. "Cannot be unseen" isn't just a meme.

[@VK2XPT]

Aphantasia means I unsee everything straight away. I have no visual memory.

[@dinosaurusrex1482]

@@VK2XPT im sorry

[@VK2XPT]

@@dinosaurusrex1482 Nah, it's all good. I didn't realise it wasn't normal until I was 37.

[@Eva-lulu]

It is two years already.. DAMN it feels like last week this channel started

[@sofiavelasco3143]

This video/comment was posted 2 years ago🤣, I miss read the comments, and thought you had a comment from two years ago, saying that the comment was 2 years old. 😂Oops

[@_Feyd-Rautha]

Get your memory checked

[@KatGlos]

I don't have this obviously, but I've been keeping a diary every day for the past 15 years (a bit neurotic, I know) and it greatly improves my memory.

[@macealred4135]

Kat a tiny bit morbid but do you wonder what will happen to them when you die? i’ve been keeping a journal almost every day for close to a year now and constantly wonder what it would feel like if someone read them.

[@shimmer4771]

I have a good memory, better than average. It's helped me a lot in college, but it's also come with its challenges. For starters, I can't forget those embarrassing moments. I remember it. The bad times, too. 😥😞

[@IONov990]

@@macealred4135 I used to think I was vain thinking people would learn I was profound after reading my diary. I am vain. Lol

[@threestooges37]

At least I can remember to check youtube for new videos.

[@Ruth411ful]

Lmaooooo

[@tahroo4262]

It's awful.. reliving parts of your life that should have been long forgotten. Waking up in a panic because you forgot to do your homework, only to realize you're in your thirties and that was a memory from the seventh grade. Past relationships stuck on repeat no matter how much it hurt. What you should have said to avoid putting yourself into that situation you hated at your first job, or just having the phone number of your first crush implanted in your brain even though that was twenty years ago. So you spend all day drowning it out with video games waiting for tomorrow to come. Avoiding new memories as much as possible, while happiness forever escapes you. Err.... I mean... not that I would know! I don't remember what I had for dinner! ~nervous chuckle~

[@MoraFermi]

Sadly the super memory is not needed for all of that to happen. :-/

[@_hector__]

@@MoraFermi Oof, load another one in the truth chamber

[@gordonlawrence4749]

Tahroo I know exactly what you are saying I have the same issue going back to things I regret from when I was 5 in some extreme cases.

[@hgetgbg2e1f]

How could he forget his homework

[@MasterRuss]

I can relate, mostly to the last few lines though. I constantly struggle with remembering even what has happened within my short-term history. But randomly and quite frequently recall moments that make me cringe.

[@tawon1984]

I have sporadic but quite a bit of memories from the age 2 and up. I also remember faces instantly. I'm 34 and I remembered someone from kindergarten just from seeing them in the grocery store. Majority of the time I don't say anything because I'm sure it freaks that person out lol.

[@parallel4]

I think that's fairly normal. We all have the built in ability to recognise human faces. Not being able to recognise faces is a condition known as face blindness; if that was the norm then it wouldn't be classified as a mental disorder.

[@aw-stk]

I was around 8 to 10 when I told my mom I could remember my birth. It was very scary cause all I really remember was suddenly not being able to breathe. Then my mom tells me my umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck, when she said that I Then realized I actually remember being born.

[@yangasidziya3245]

I literally have the same thing, I never forget a face, I don't care how much facial hair a person has or how much they let themselves go, if I saw you as a kid, I'll remember you as an adult, but I suck at remembering important things like words on a book, what I studied for a test or people's cellphone numbers

[@albertolaurella9168]

I have an amazing brain too! I forget everything! No bad memories for me! Also keeping a secret is easy peasy lemon something!

[@test123apt]

I was 24 years old, and my then girlfriend lost her keys. She'd been looking everywhere, tearing through our house. I asked her why she didn't just replay her day and watch where she put them last. She just looked at me funny and said, "yeah, right." I told her I know it's boring but just watch it from the beginning you'll know where exactly where they're at.... A little more back and forth, and that's the day I learned I was different. May 11th, 2005. Strong emotions seem to make things clearer and more vivid. I can accurately describe detail down to the shoes worn by anyone I have ever truly cared about on the first day I met them. I can also feel the blow of every teenage breakup, every betrayal, every loss I've ever experienced as if it just happened. At this point in my life, I'm exhausted. I'm not suicidal, but I definitely am looking forward to the end.

[@Faarthemage]

I would say I'm borderline hyperthymesia in that I remember quite a bit in amazing detail. Not as good as exact events by the day (unless it's a holiday because family LOVES making those memorable...), but I remember all the bad things I did, when my face ate concrete, all as though I was there recently. Usually for me I tend to stick two points together and it'll last a long time. Like what I had for lunch with how much it cost. Also, makes watching shows over again a bit of a drag, I can name every single cartoon episode with some detail. Because of this, my brain is so full that recall is hard for me and it takes a couple of whacks for me to bring it up.

[@CooletteD00]

I remember from 6 months plus, my memory was incredible until I was 14 in which I encountered trauma that changed all of that. My memory faded and I can’t remember things as easily or as in detail as I could before. I was able to at least for that day able to remember everything that happened in the day and order too. Not anymore though sadly

[@RangerRuby]

Memory videos on SciShow Psych are always so interesting and the awesome host makes it so much better!

[@mitchheiter3801]

I would just like to say that I love scishow! Thank you all for your tireless efforts! If I were financially able I would be your highest contributing patreon.

[@thisaccountisdead9060]

From what I understand, we reprocess our memories through our ventro medial prefrontal cortex (during dreams for example) - so memories stored in the hippocampus become more intergrated into the rest of the cerebral cortex: which I imagine makes our brains more efficient with the information contained within it (I think we actually intially store information in multiple parts of our brains before they become integrated into an accessible memory in the future?). It is I think a reason why - in famous case studies - that when people have their hippocampus removed, they may forget more recent memories but still retain older memories (as they appear no longer stored in their hippocampus). It think the same process is involved with 'extinction' - you don't forget a traumatic memory but it becomes more just information from your past rather than an emotional memory lodged in your hippocampus (the hippocampus being very close to the amygdala, involved in emotional responses, in the brain). Maybe it isn't suprising that hyperthymesia seems similar to neurotic conditions such as OCD. Perhaps if people could talk through their memories they could process them more normally? - I wouldn't be surprised if there was a connection to vasopressin and oxytocin - these two hormones seem keep to cropping up in connection with aspergers type symptoms from what I've seen. btw - is it normal to be able to pick up on conversations from ten years ago as if you were there having the conversation for real?... if not then I guess I have some kind of hyperthymesia. I don't remember dates. But the re-watch value of films is pretty lost on me - I'll have to leave it maybe ten years before I forget a film (if ever)... that's any film I have ever seen whether I liked it or not. I don't have to listen to any of my albums either as I can just play them in my head. I can google search and find something even if I have no idea what the title is I am looking for: I can remember enough about the thing I am looking for so that I can find it through similar searches - like the coat someone was wearing... and eventually I'll end up with an image from a film I was looking for that I couldn't remember the title of. Or I'll remember a line from a film - even though I haven't seen it in years - and be able to find it that way. Like a scene from house sitter with goldie hawn and steve martin where he is on a bus getting ready to leave (or maybe it was goldie hawn) and he says a funny line about her sweater driving him crazy with lust to try and convince her to stay with him - I've only seen that film once when it came out (in 1992) and I haven't seen it since... I can pretty much recount the entire film... ...House sitter being a film about a woman who fakes her marriage to steve martin so that he acts as if he can't remember ever marrying her to the people around him who she has convinced them she is his wife xP

[@amandaarmstrong1212]

I do remember in excruciating detail every thing I've ever done/said that I've regretted doing back to the third grade... but cant remember what I had for breakfast yesterday. Thanks brain!!!

[@seagullqueen5887]

I have been looking for the name of that show for years...finally...thank you.. If only I had near perfect memory... -_-

[@wytsewolf]

This is better than not being able to remember anything at all, like me. Of course I do remember some things, but I'm only 18 and I only have flashes of what happened in my childhood. As one example, I've been told I was depressed when I was 7 years old. I didn't even know that. I have no memory of me being depressed as a kid before i was 12. I know I am/was depressed from then, till now, but almost never depressed now. Even a couple days ago I can't remember what I did or learnt at school. One friend asks me what I ate last evening sometimes. I almost never have a clue. I know a lot of things, people in my class call me smart, but I can't save any new information coming in, at least very poorly. I might be telling this in a very unorganized and weird order, i'm sorry for that. I just wanted to share this.

[@BriefBrainSnacks]

The potential for the same underlying brain mechanisms involved with OCD and hyperthymesia is fascinating. Especially with overlap between behavioral indicators.

[@sylvieriviere8920]

i remember my whole life , thoughts, actions from 18 months old and up with the same amount of details i remember things that happened 3 years ago. i dont remember dates that much but i do remember my age at the time of every specific memory i have. my mom however wakes up everyday and know which people have their birthday/death/marriage etc on this day (yes even for people not related to her at all , like some random cousin of a friend of a friend). i use to joke around and tell her she has a disorder.

[@gayatridevigovindarajula3312]

I have a friend who has such a memory.. I was always surprised.. she can point out things about her 3 years memories as well..

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Good video... Great insights! Used to suffer the "near perfect playback"... AND it was pretty awful, actually... THEN I was electrocuted and drowned in a pool... flatlined by a bad reaction in the rescue vehicle... and resuscitated in the hospital... About a year of my life (in my head) was nearly hopelessly scrambled around... I still don't seem to make full functional sense of it. AND that was almost twenty years ago. Thank GOD for meditation... My short-term memories were worst impacted, and it's still not as cognizant as it could be... BUT I can function at just around average or maybe a tad better (depending)... IF I can manage a particular memory to "make the jump" to long-term, then I've got it... At least, I don't have the nearly crippling effect of crystal clear memories that over-ride other people's accounts and impressions of the past. That used to send me into arguments and result in horrible verbal abuses by anyone and everyone "who was also there"... I couldn't lie about anything, and in my memory, if it wasn't "dead on spec" it was a lie... and I knew it. It sucked... It sucked the life out of good memories, because when someone else remembered the SO PERFECT thing, I remembered "it was really good and all, but not perfect"... I couldn't exaggerate, so the teeth on the bear were only two inches long... and it didn't matter if the bear was ten feet or a hundred yards away... I KNEW how long those teeth were. I KNEW it was just an average bear... NOT some god-awful monster. That sort of inane behavior gets one ostracized from social gatherings and storytelling circles... and friends. I don't have perfect recalls anymore. I'm lucky, half the time, to remember anything past three days ago... Meditation, however, has helped. Focusing on things I've done, working my way through to the past still brings back some or most of the memories. It lets me build them, if I try. AND it's still improving, so I'm not hopelessly scarred... Like I said, I function well enough... even if I can only guess at what "about average" is. It is good to know there are studies going on. Someone is trying to muddle through this sort of subject, from what causes memories, to how we can improve them... AND how important (or not) the clarity of recall really is. ;o)

[@HankHillBentOver]

I would still rather than have near perfect memory than what I am working with right now It would help so much

[@drizzlingrose]

Imagine having perfect memory, replaying the moments you got bullied as a kid over and over forever, that sounds like hell :(

[@greenanubis]

You dont have to have perfect memory for that.

[@drizzlingrose]

@@greenanubis thats what i mean, im doing this every time im not focused on something, and i dont have perfect memory, so remembering it even better must be horrible D:

[@SaltedTurkey]

Why not look at it as being able to remember every good day you’ve had? You’d actually have the memories and recollection of every shitty day but you know that it gets better, it always does. So I’d say that it would be extremely hard to forget that there’s a light at the end of whatever tunnel you have to go through

[@drizzlingrose]

@@SaltedTurkey i guess thats one way to look at it, its not how i see it tho, but each to their own i guess :)

[@SaltedTurkey]

Sarah Vittrup wouldn’t it be better to look at it that way though? Why would you consciously choose to look at all the negative experiences and trauma when you have a plethora of good, happy memories to look at and be fond of?

[@km1dash6]

I wish I had a perfect memory. It would make gaslighting me more difficult, and I wouldn't mistakenly do it to others. I know you guys have a video on that, but I think a lot of gaslighting happens because people alter their memories so they can feel like they didn't do anything wrong. I wish I could revisit memories so I could learn from them. Instead I just remember saying that one thing out of impulse 6 years ago replaying in my head until it gets replaced by another regret.

[@bimgorling2036]

I remember conversations and other things I hear very well - people have tried to gaslight me, and stopped 😅 The only really frustrating aspect of it for me is that I, due to my own great memory, expect that others also remember everything we've talked about and agreed on... Drives me nuts at work when I'm the only one remembering how the discussion came about, who said what and what was agreed upon! I really don't want to be the person always correcting my colleagues and reminding them of everything - but I also equally hate seeing everyone forget so much and therefore make mistakes/not follow the mutually agreed upon plans! 🤯

[@jackcheat6340]

When she talked about remembering bad memories, the first thought that came to mind was Batman. "The World's Greatest Detective" is sometimes depicted to have incredibly memory(often as an explanation on how he learned all he did in such a short time). If Bruce Wayne did suffer from hyperthymesia, it sort of makes the tragedy of his parents' murder even worse, though kind of does explain why he can't move past it despite his growing support structure(All the Robin's, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc...).

[@Vergil9O]

How does it affect academics and information retention? For instance, if you deliberately read through an entire book, could you then recall the entire book page by page? Is there a limit to the amount of detail? And retention aside, does it help with comprehension of the material, and if so to what degree? I'm just curious what the intellectual implications would be in having this condition.

[@KyleK25]

I started to notice that i had good memory when i was 13 and i can remember a lots of dates of when things happen to me even though they werent big events at all so i probably have pre hyperthymesia

[@divisionzero715]

I had similar memory as a kid. A few concussions later, it's no longer as sharp, but thankfully a lot more manageable.

[@erikziak1249]

2:13 I do not need to imagine, my brain gives me these memories all the time, especially when in similar situations, or when I see other people in similar conditions. And not just things I did say, also things I wrote... Like in the comments section on KZbin.

[@quintecence]

My brother is autistic and has a ridiculously amazing memory of days and dates. He hasn't been officially diagnosed with this condition and probably never will be due to his autism. Regardless, it never ceases to amaze everyone he meets.

[@Redd_Nebula]

Ive got an uncle that is the same, and although Im not good with dates my own memory is significantly better than most

[@kaiceecrane3884]

Alot of have great long term memory but there is thought we may have bad short term memory

[@freedapeeple4049]

I don't have a near-perfect memory, I merely have an excellent memory and I have often had to lie and say I don't remember things because of the resentment I received when I "always had the answer."

[@lewelstamp]

There's a story by Borges called Funes the Memorious, published in 1942, that suggests the condition was known or suspected a lot earlier than 2006

[@helpme5785]

I can't wait for when we have recordings of everything like that episode of black mirror (except not bad). + What we were thinking at the time. Never forgetting an idea again!

[@Ritesh-ts6yq]

My cousin sister has it, she remembers everything since she was 4 and she is 15 and still can say everything happened each day. Didn’t knew it’s a real thing.

[@dragonboyjgh]

>imagine remembering every single time you've ever said something you regretted in excruciating detail joke's on you, that's literally the only memories I don't lose. People, skills, an entire year, but tense social moments, especially those caused by my own mistakes? I don't think I could get them out with with an icepick. They're honestly kind of how I keep time now, how I keep a consistent sequence of events. One night I just sat there and stitched all my mistakes together in the only order that made sense and figured out a solid timeline of my history for the last few years. It was very grounding, I even recovered a few snippets in the process, because memories are kind of a chain, you know? They connect, one leads to another. I'm not sure where I was going with this. Anyways, I can imagine it.

[@BIGNEILCOUSINS]

This video has helped me alot .

[@vulcanfeline]

the House episode about this condition is close to showing the pain it can cause

[@tesselllation]

"Isnt all its cracked up to be " personal opinion ? It sounds amazing to me haha . The mind is amazing and nothing wrong with a very reliable memory. I'd LOVE to have that again . Had it in less stressful times of life for sure 👌

[@tyelork]

Can people seriously not remember what they had for lunch the day prior? I'm pretty confident I don't have hyperthymesia, but I can remember most of my childhood down to minor details. I can't however name dates, or specific things I was doing on any given date. So while I might have an above average memory it's nowhere near the level of those with hyperthymesia.

[@User-jr7vf]

If on the day you experienced something you didn't look up a calendar, then you naturally wouldn't be able to tell what day it happened, 10+ years ago

[@EyesOfByes]

Like my ex who said "last year tuesday evening during a dinner you actually said this and that! What is your thought about that?!!?" This explains a lot. It was scary how she new every detail of our conversations, every single one of them.

[@vulcanfeline]

/wave from your ex, lol but seriously, i had a boyfriend who had almost that exact complaint about me except he said, "wednesday" and "lunch"

[@SkaterBlades]

I don't have this condition but i do have a bloody good long term memory and it is a blessing and a curse. While it's a useful tool in many situations it balances out with all of the bad stuff that can sometimes be overwhelming and cause spikes of intense depression

[@altrocks]

For people with enough resources it seems like a pretty great gift, but for anyone without the needed resources it seems like nothing short of hell.

[@jessed7386]

i believe i have this, all i can say is i can be driving watching tv or reading a book and will be hit with a days worth of memories and feeling how i felt on that day of the memory i think thats the hard part comes out of nowhere and resighting what happened the embarrassing memories are the worst, it can happen 200-40 a day. the memories are from age 2 to present

[@JinjoVitis]

We should be asking these people the important questions like is it the Berenstein Bears or Berenstain Bears.

[@federicovillagran7823]

Having that ability it's gotta be a blessing

[@gingooglife9622]

thank you for sharing it helps a lot in understanding how my mind work it is sad to remember things

[@emilemil1]

My one question is how in the world their brains are capable of storing all of that information. The brain doesn't have unlimited memory capacity, so wouldn't memorizing more information and more detailed information cause that capacity to be filled up quicker? Are they sacrificing something for their improved memory, is it a trade-off, or are some parts of their brains just strictly better? Alternatively, are the memories very efficient to store? Like how you could write a daily diary for your entire life and yet easily store it all on a tiny USB stick. Being able to recall everything written in that diary in perfect detail is impressive, yet it's probably less information than it would take to remember the exact appearance of a single large painting.

[@DoctorElliottCarthy]

That's a really good question. I might try and cover that on my channel Mental Health with Dr Elliott.

[@rekance]

2.5 petabytes storage

[@yangasidziya3245]

​@@rekance That's damn near unlimited

[@Brainstorm69]

The right question is: would you want a perfect memory?

[@saad1653]

I would tbh.

[@_hector__]

I could finally remember how to find the limiting reagent and the moles of x substance. Chemistry was a lot of guessing for me tbh 😥

[@SweetHyunho]

Of course! It's a wonderful gift. Useful for mental efforts in general.

[@arkancer2210]

Yes, I don't care about negative memories, like, when my aunt died I didn't care, I don't care about many things, it is perfect for me!

[@heythere8318]

yes

[@aldico4067]

I often shock my friends of how well I remember certain situations even down to what clothes we wore. Or where we sat in class. Idk I don't have a great memory since I often forget stuff I learn in class like 30 minutes later, but I remember alot of events that happend to us like so minor things, like where someone said something to me. I can exactly picture the moment in time when and how they told me something.

[@kpk33x]

I have described this as "youtube brain". Except that I can't control the feed. Its entertaining for my friends as I can recall stuff down to weather conditions and where everyone was in the room from something 35 or 40 years ago. Yeah, I remember it being cloudy and drizzly the day Reagan was shot. What is not fun is involuntary replays of being bullied, feeling lonely, being depressed, making more mistakes than I can count. I think the human brain has an enormous storage capacity for memories, just that some people can access them better than others.

[@hudaabuheit1331]

Idk but i remember everything that happened to me when i was 3 years and i remember what i saw and what i heared and my mum was very shocked bc their some things am not allowed to hear or now and i explain it all perfectly to my mum and i told her yh you used to m do this with dad i used to do this i did that i said that and sometimes i begin to stare and remember everything that happened and when i remember i get angry bc i see things and i think logically about it and i remember conversations and what hapened infront of me its crazy my mum thinks its weird and i can now and feel when a person is bad bc i remember what happened to me 7 years agi and learned from them and i can feek if a person is bad or not and i can sense things alot even the small stuff and expose ppl from remembering(not trying to be special guys just saying and baing honest(

[@Wagmiman]

They however cannot handle more memories at the same time than an average person. To clarify what I mean by this, think of computers. They also have a memory where they store all their data, but to use that data they have RAM or random access memory. It has a limit to how much data it can hold at once and exceeding that limit will break it. Same thing with humans. Can’t think of two things at the same time no matter how good your memory is. Instead if they had a better ”RAM” they’d become near gods because they could find solutions to any problem science has ever faced by bringing together all the information they ever knew at once. Thought processing speed is also the same as the average human. My point is that these people can only recall memories faster and more accurately than the average person but are not necessarily better at problem solving.

[@porkeyminch8044]

They have bigger hard-drive space and faster RAM, but not increased processing power.

[@Wagmiman]

Jackson Percy exactly

[@michaeltrinh4394]

I have this condition, and it's true that I wasn't a genius when I was young. But after pairing memory with other skills, I learned to increase my cognitive reasoning and upgrade my brain. I think everyone can do it too, but I get bonuses each upgrade

[@arkancer2210]

@@Wagmiman I can think of two things at the same time..

[@Wagmiman]

Arkancer has kancer if you could, you wouldn’t be wasting your superhuman skills and time on here claming that to a random internet stranger

[@axeinimation]

I know I have hyperthymesia, because I can still remember the day the first time I became conscious about my surrounding, it feels like it's the first time I gained the sense of sight and it feels like yesterday

[@01234slayer43210]

Oh hey i didn't noticed I've just finished the video, im still stuck remembering what was my lunch yesterday.

[@cowardly_wizard]

Being the scientist that ran that false memory study must have been heavy.Implanting a false memory in someone's head and they know they won't be able to forget it. It's like changing the literal past

[@Cytron1515]

This condition would really come in handy when studying for test or doing homework or taking pop quizzes.

[@flarithen]

i have a character kinda like this, but i didnt know it was a real disorder. informative and helpful for my writing :~)

[@Rose01bloom]

I would go mad if I had such a perfect memory. My memory is actually so bad I kinda obsessively keep a journal, hopefully not forgetting too much 😂 Thankfully I don’t struggle a ton with academic memorisation and keeping a diary helps me.

[@Edmonddantes123]

Very enlightening video, thanks! But shouldn’t you mention the early case of Solomon Shereshevsky, the Russian patient whom Alexander Luria studied for 30 years and subject of his landmark 1968 case study “The Mind of a Mnemonist”?

[@andrewmauney3082]

I can remember a few things from 10 to 20 years ago and i can recall peoples birthdays and tell them the day of week they were born

[@informative_walrus]

Better delivery than nose ring lady. Much better!

[@a2ngs_995]

i have this kind of disorder, the reason we have a false memory is sometimes what we actually imagine that didn't happened turns also into a detailed memory that sometimes we thought it really happened even though its not

[@Exitof99]

Regarding photographic memory, study Stephen Wiltshire, who is a savant that can fly over a new city and draw all the buildings on a huge mural over the course of a few days.

[@theblackreaper4395]

See, the thing is...the memory of an average person is kinda poor. It will obviously be better to have a more powerful memory, but not so good that you practically remember everything. So, everything needs stability, not too good not too bad

[@ThingEngineer]

So we know long term memory is strongly bound to certain stages of sleep. It would be interesting to see a deep sleep study and cross meta with the data we already have on hyperthymesia subjects.

[@ratdude747]

Some things are better forgotten... while I definitely hyperthymesia , I do remember things that I kinda wish I didn't... mistakes I've made in the past and when I do I have a hard time forgetting them. Not to the point of being PTSD-like, but enough to really frustrate me at times.

[@stephaniesummer2663]

Can you please do a video on visual snow? I think I have it, but there is not much information on the topic. Edit: It is also suspected to be neurological so it will relate to your channel.

[@kou2458]

I don't think I have hyperthymesia but I can remember a few things from when I was 3 years old until today. A long term memory does run in my family even my dad can remember a few events from when he was 10. I am currently 14 years old.

[@first782]

I used to mess with people who I knew didn't have that great of a memory, every time we'd talk about music or they said something I didn't know how to respond too I'd send them the same song. Not once did they remember it and I told they I was doing it thrice and they acted like I had never told them that before each time, got all offended each time lol. This just made me think of that cause they were like the opposite of having hyperthymesia.

[@christelheadington1136]

If only you could keep it all in nice neat files,to retrieve when you wanted to, but keep locked up when you didn't.(sigh)

[@Error-eb9gv]

I've got that. Unfortunately the files keep coming up 404 error code and are unaccessible and most of the rest of them have some sort of corruption.

[@TZILLA.]

Ayanokoji solo

[@tyler89557]

I would love to have this... it would be so utterly useful for school.

[@Helicondrummer]

Traumatic events are already more memorable in people without hyperthymesia. I probably remember all the worst things, so other with obsessive thoughts or actions it doesn't really seem so bad especially for anyone who has OCD but without the added bonus of super memory.

[@1TakoyakiStore]

I recall reading about this condition although it didn't have the scientific name it has now. The patient who the chapter centered around also had a very hard time coming up with abstractions on his own like dreams. The guy was more like a computer.

[@Manodragon]

Do a parallel video about SDAM. Some people say there's a continuum of sorts that involves both conditions

[@brendankendall41]

Me:I can't wait to go to sleep! My brain: Do you remember those embarrassing things you did back in Jul. 11, 2015, Oct. 15, 2016, Dec. 29, 2017, Aug. 20, 2015, Jun. 28, 2015, Apr. 8, 2015, Feb. 27, 2017, Aug. 15, 2017, Mar. 2, 2015, Aug. 31, 2018, May 23, 2016, Dec. 4, 2016, Dec. 17, 2015, Dec. 11, 2016, Jul. 17, 2015, Jan. 12, 2019, Jul. 15, 2018, Jun. 1, 2015, Nov. 25, 2017, Jun. 25, 2018, Apr. 25, 2017, Sep. 11, 2017, Jul. 6, 2017, Sep. 12, 2017, and Jun. 16, 2016?

[@GiacomoAngelucci]

The similarities of the brain activity and structure between people with ocd and people with hyperthymesia make me think about hyperthymisia itself as a possible form of ocd: i can think about a child who's experienced a traumatic even, like the death of a grandparent, and he/she was scared not to remember him/her at the point he/she decides to remember anything that will happen in his/her life. I have absolutely no proof that what I'm saying may even slightly be correct, but still... i would be curious to see if a study has already been done on this theory!

[@jakkuwolfinsomnia8058]

My memory can recall events from 20 years ago, some things I experienced once or something unimportant I glanced at something yet it's stuck in my long term memory very vividly i can recall everything. But, I remember horrible events that cause me turmoil and pain that happened a lot repeatedly from infancy to early adulthood. I have nightmares a lot that I don't understand I think my memory has blocked out too painful memories but a lot I can still recall. My working memory is pretty bad but my long term memory and every other area of the brain is waay above average (88-98 average) but my short term memory is 35. The lady said to me it's like hyperthymesia masked by hypothymesia making it seem like I have a normal memory but my working memory and long term memory are not equal. My long term memory can recall very well my short term struggles but the two cancel each other out. I appear and feel quite stupid when I've just been told something then forget but then people are like 'how the hell can you remember that?' When i recall something they did in near perfect detail. What would you call that?

[@Abraxis86]

I had one and didn't even know other people didn't until I lost it at some point in the process of being disemboweled and recovering from that.

[@el_equidistante]

we did know about this condition from a long time ago, but after maybe the 40s doctors ignore it until they even considered it a myth, but just recently there have been some clinical studies which has make it resurfaced.

[@Katherine_The_Okay]

God, I think if I had to remember every experience of my life, I'd curl up under my blanket and never leave bed again. No thank you.

[@rasmusn.e.m1064]

I am sad that I don't know what I lose from my memory, yet I am happy that I don't remember forgetting it.

[@Benergi]

Pretty sure I have something like this but not exactly the same, I have a really good memory with movies, book or anything when there’s visual/auditory ques (or strong emotion) but if my lecturer in passing say: feedback will be given on [x-date] I’ll totally forget or if I have small talk with a stranger then I’ll pretty much instantly forget about it.

[@Jimmy-wo9zc]

Im absolutely hopeless with dates, but what i have is that if ive seen something written down, i will remember it vividly for up to 3 months with no revision whatsoever (and still recall a very accurate summary for years after), but if i hear it or experience it then my brain automatically discards it as useless information and i forget it very quickly. So i can remember almost word for word the page of science notes i did late last year, but the vast majority of my recollection of my life so far is just a blacked out blur. I can find some details if I'm prompted, but its virtually inaccessible otherwise.

[@watchingthebees]

I think I might have this. My memories aren’t tied to dates exactly, but I remember pretty much everything that has ever happened to me in excruciatingly detail, the only thing I don’t have is the date, so it might not be this. My dad is the same. Maybe it’s related to our autism, I’m not sure

[@emilysmith2965]

3:01 obsessive behaviors are correlated with high memory? That might help to explain why I have it (not hyperthymesia per this description, but certainly enough to be a terrible burden). I’m autistic, which is heavily characterized by repetitive and ritualistic behaviors. This has marked effects, some good and some not, and many just qualitatively different with no “goodness” value, on my own life goals and personality. Honestly I find poor memory baffling, no matter how many times I encounter it (and I work with Social Security claimants, so it’s A LOT). I know I’ll probably never find an explanation I find emotionally AND rationally understandable, i.e. satisfying, but seeing this as a partial explanation is more helpful than most information I’ve found so far. Honestly it feels very othering for neurotypical people to call autistic people “obsessive” for having “special interests” when I just see that as caring about something. Finding it important, wanting to learn about it and retaining what I learn. Everyone said I’d experience a decline is this ability as I aged, but so far “everyone” has been wrong. My brain simply does not allow it. I care too much to forget. But as you might imagine, this makes it very difficult to have conversations with other people that don’t just turn into the same conversation I’ve had a thousand times. It’s a deeply painful and alienating thing.

[@91722854]

This needs to be put on a new channel called scishow Neuro

[@mikeman7918]

I'm actually writing a fictional character who's supposed to have an exceptional memory. This is definitely going to help with that.

[@momijithelesbianleftie6578]

You can also deal with the baggage using philosophy, mindfulness and meditation to live a fulfilling life without being haunted by your past. Any cases of people using hyperthymesia for biomedical sciences? Or any sciences for that matter? It did seem pretty sick for that stuff

[@UnixDaemonKiller]

Why does hot water feel MORE hot when you move your foot, hand or leg through it, versus holding still while submerged in it?

[@Shawnne86]

So weird. I remember... a LOT. In pretty accurate detail.. although it's rarely "tied to" a date or day of the week. I remember the good, the bad, as well as the average or mundane. I can often recall things like verbatim, the tone, context, and what time of the day it was. But as far as what day... nope lol. I don't think I have hyperthymesia. Unless, of course, it has varying degrees- like a spectrum. I'd say my memory is above average, but nothing like the people mentioned. ( I do have obsessive traits as well, and ADHD)

[@yply.o.7877]

I have this

[@greenanubis]

I heard someone once described having a child with perfect memory is the worst nightmare for a parent.

[@michaeltrinh4394]

I have this condition, but I called it a "quantum memory" until I read the term. It's good, but they're right in saying that it can be a burden- sometimes I scream (Not too loudly though, more like getting electric shocks) in public because I remember bad events, but I have been able to use my condition to go on quiz shows, and I use it to write vivid stories by accurately recalling experiences. I'm also weird, but I can mask it when I need to appear normal 😅 I will also add to the video by my person experiences: although I can remember the experiences as they happened with greater accuracy, as I grow up I can also reflect on the same memory differently as my personality matures. It's like the same movie, but watching it at different ages.

[@enderallygolem]

"Quantum memory" just sounds like someone attaching the word quantum to some unrelated thing just because it sounds cool and confuses people

[@kylanwalker6015]

Are there any known cases of people with less severe versions of this condition? This seems a bit like how my memory works but not quite as much as what this reports.

[@HoD999x]

have these researchers checked "LSA" ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyreia_nervosa )? i tried it once and i started to remember lots of things i didn't even know i had forgotten.

[@holdmybeer]

I think i have a diluted form of this phenomenon. I remember events drastically better than friends. im also learning impaired.

[@zacharywinters9413]

How can I get tested?