Would n’t it be great to take care at a Thomas Nelson Page of text , or a map , and immediately retrieve every detail ? Many noted people – fromLeonardo da Vincito former US President Bill Clinton – have claimed to have some level of photographic memory . But is straight photographic memory in reality a real thing ? Or are some people just well at thosememorization techniquesthey adjudicate to instruct you in degree school ?
What do we mean by “photographic memory”?
We spoke to ProfessorJon Simons , a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge , to try and get to the bottom of it . When we say “ photographic memory ” , what we commonly mean , according to Simons , is “ being capable to perfectly come back an image , scene , or text as if it were a picture , ” – but when we asked if it was real , the answer was clear .
Marvin Neil Simon assure us photographic store “ is not supported by scientific grounds . ”
Instead , neuroscientists might talk about “ eidetic ” memory – fans ofThe Big Bang Theorywill remember that one of the show ’s independent part , Sheldon Cooper , often claims to have this ability .
“ Eidetic retentivity is the power to vividly recall images , sounds , or objects in great item , almost as if they ’re still present , ” Simons told us . “ This character of memory is sometimes find in children but is comparatively rare in adults . ” If you ’re reading this , Sheldon , sorry to let down .
Even in kids , it ’s rare . An oft - quote statistic suggests 2 - 10 percent of kids aged 6 - 12 might have the power , which appears to stem from inquiry direct in the 1960s .
In a1979 composition , psychologist Ralph Norman Haber detailed the results of a decennary - tenacious project he had undertake to enquire eidetic memory , finding that the construct was “ virtually nonexistent ” in adults . Haber include transcript of conversations with some of the kids involved in the research , providing a absorbing insight into what stimulate an eidetic memory might be like .
In one model , a 10 - year - old son was briefly shown an example of Alice – ofWonderlandfame – chatting to theCheshire Catas it sits in a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . When the image was exact away , the subject ( S ) was asked to continue look at the blank easel , moving their eyes if needed , and to tell the experimenter ( east ) what they could see , as in the following excerpt :
eastward : Do you see something there ?
sulfur : I see the tree , grey tree with three limb , I see the cat with stripes around its tail .
east : Can you number those stripes ?
S : Yes , ( pause ) there ’s about sixteen .
This is just a brief snapshot – but look at whether you could think an icon you ’d only seen for 30 seconds to this layer of detail .
depicting of photographic memory in popular media are often overdone and can sometimes be misleading .
Although most minor who appear to show this ability do eventually lose it with age , acase reportpublished in 2023 raised the possible action of eidetic memory in a 27 - yr - old woman with epilepsy . After having various types of seizures start at long time 6 , the woman was undergo some examination prior to surgery when her impressive power at memorizing pairs of watchword became apparent . The authors hypothesized that in this rare case , the cleaning woman ’s seizures – which develop in the part of the brain responsible for for language – could have actually enhanced her storage .
As to why a small issue of children may have eidetic memory board when it ’s seemingly out of reach for most grownup , there have been a few theories . Some have suggested that it ’s to do with developmental changes in the genius , or that younger child rely more on their visual memory before their verbal skills advance to the point that they can think more abstractly .
Haber was n’t convinced by this though , write that there was “ no grounds to support any version of a developmental hypothesis . ” In his conclusions , he chiefly call for more research to unpick the nature of eidetic memory , but to this day it remainspoorly understood .
It is potential to aim your ocular storage , enhancing ability to recall visual entropy more vividly and accurately through deliberate practice and the use of specific techniques .
What about all those famous people with supposedly “photographic” memories?
If there ’s no evidence photographic memory exists , why are so many convinced they have it ? Are all the examples in film and TV just unbowed - up fabrication ?
“ Portrayals of photographic storage in pop spiritualist are often enlarged and can sometimes be misleading , ” Simon confirmed . “ In moving-picture show , TV shows , and book , character with photographic retentivity are portray as being able to call in Brobdingnagian amounts of information with everlasting truth , such as reading a varlet once and remembering every word eternally . In reality , no scientific grounds supports this level of perfect , elaborate recall in homo . ”
gratefully , the professor did have some skilful news . While lawful photographic memory may be a fantasy , with a bit of piece of work it ’s possible to better your visual retention to a level that begin to approach it .
“ It is potential to coach your visual computer storage , enhancing power to return visual data more vividly and accurately through deliberate pattern and the use of specific proficiency , ” Simons told IFLScience . “ An exercise [ is ] mnemonic strategies such as the Method of Loci ( or Memory Palace ) technique , which postulate imagine placing data you desire to remember along a familiar route or location , like rooms in a house . ”
“ Studies have show that training in this technique for a few weeks can raise visual memory importantly . ”
Seems Sherlock Holmes was really onto something after all .
Why do some people have such good memories?
They may not have a photographic memory , but you might bed someone who just seems to have a knack for call back information . It could even be you – if you ’re a trivia champ or can hear directions sound than a sat nav , you might have wonder why your memory seems to work on so well .
“ Some adults have something call Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory , which allows them to rememberpersonal experiencesand consequence with great detail . However , this does not liken to true photographic memory because it does n’t involve complete callback of optic details like figure of speech or texts but rather an particular level of recall of life story events , ” Simon explained .
He added that while some mass have splendid memory for sure case of information , such as number , this may be because these mortal have gotten very good at using memorization techniques .
“ While reliable photographic memory , as depicted in medium , has not been scientifically proven to subsist , understanding the neurologic base of surpassing memory abilities can provide brainwave into why some individuals can withdraw information with remarkable detail , ” he remain .
“ For instance , a area in the middle of the nous known as the hippocampus is crucial for constitute and retrieving memories , especially spacial and occasional memories . People with exceptional memory may have highly active or structurally distinct hippocampi , allowing them to mould stronger and more detailed memories . ”
The classic lesson of this is taxi drivers in London . If you ’ve never visited the UK ’s capital , you should know that in many areas , the streets are fundamentally a snarl ( storage-battery grid radiation diagram , who ’s she ? ) . That ’s what you get when you start with ancient papist groundwork and just keep building . But drivers of the iconic black cabs need to be able to navigate through this mess confidently , and to do so they must pass a test calledThe Knowledge . It typically submit three to four years – you may often fleck the great unwashed zipping around on mopeds , memorize a section of the map .
At the close of all that , as well as being able to initiate their life history as cab drivers , studies have shown that successful candidates have literallyrestructured their brains : “ London cab machine driver [ … ] have been find to have a larger ulterior hippocampus compare to the average person , ” said Simons .
There’s more to memory
For most of us with average recall capabilities , that mythical photographic retentivity sound fairly mellisonant . Think how ready to hand it would have been to go into an exam with the pages of the schoolbook ready - memorized , diagram and all . But according to all the scientific evidence we have the right way now , photographic memory is just that – a myth .
Though The Big Bang Theory did n’t quite nail it , Benedict Cumberbatch ’s twenty-first - C Sherlock contract pretty close – and with a small work , you probably could too .
Nevertheless , the study of computer storage remains arguably one of the most fascinating areas of neuroscience . Photographic retention may not be real , but there ’s still so much to pick up .
“ We ’re presently run a inquiry written report to memorize more about the cognitive and brain foundation of particular memory abilities , to understand whether people who are ‘ super memorisers ’ use finical strategy to reach their noteworthy feats of retention , and whether their brains show difference in how they are integrated or how they serve , ” Simons evidence IFLScience .
wads of other exciting studies arepushing the boundariesof how we think about memory andhow it worksin the wit , with significant implications for tackling major health yield likeAlzheimer ’s disease .
[ PULL quotation ANYWHERE BEFORE HERE – NO penury FOR ” ] Though The Big Bang Theory did n’t quite smash it , Benedict Cumberbatch ’s twenty-first - century Sherlock receive pretty close – and with a little work , you in all probability could too .
So : photographic remembering ? Not a thing . Eidetic store ? A matter , but only in a tiny figure of people , mainly kids . But just … really good memory ? Though The Big Bang Theory did n’t quite nail it , Benedict Cumberbatch ’s twenty-first - century Sherlock get pretty skinny – and with a little work , you probably could too .
