Katrina #14: Is it possible to have photographic memory?
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| www.straightdope.com/21343485/is-there-such-a-thing-as-photographic-memory |
We have probably encountered the term “photographic memory” at some point in our lives—maybe from books, maybe from characters in movies, maybe from people who claim they have a photographic memory. This notion of photographic memory is “the ability to recall a past scene in detail with great accuracy — just like a photograph” (Ye). Wouldn’t it be great if we could just look at a sheet of math equations and be able to remember all of that exactly in our brains? However, that most likely isn’t possible as researchers suggest a true photographic memory does not actually exist (Whelan).
The closest thing to photographic memory to exist is probably eidetic memory which is the ability to recall the exact details of an image for a brief moment (Whelan). Their memory can be tested using a technique called the Picture Elicitation Method where people with eidetic memory are given a visual to study, and after 30 seconds, it is taken away from them; they are then asked to recall what they have just seen. As if the image was still physically in front of them, people with eidetic memory are able to easily explain the various components of the visual in immediate terms. These eidetic images, though, can also be as easily removed from simple actions such as blinking, unable to be accurately recalled after they are gone.
Being able to develop a photographic memory would have been very nice and convenient, but unfortunately, there has been no evidence of its existence yet. However, even though a photographic memory may not be possible, people can still train their brains to remember more such as doing puzzles, meditation, getting sufficient sleep, or even learning a new vocabulary word each day.
Hey Katrina! Watching tons of movies as a kid, the concept of having a photographic memory seemed something of a surreal superpower. I’m surprised to learn that no such thing actually exists. I’ve always just assumed all these math and science prodigies were smart because of their photographic memories, but I guess my childhood assumptions were definitely wrong. I guess I’d really like to try out some of these puzzles to test and see whether I can actually be able to memorize all of the ridiculous Calculus functions one day. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Katrina, I always thought photographic memory was a fascinating concept and wanted to have it. As a kid, I imagined that if I had photographic memory, I would just flip through pages of a textbook and take a "snapshot" of every page and ace all of my tests. I never really looked into whether photographic memory was real or not, and your research makes sense as it does not seem possible to actually have photographic memory. However, eidetic memory is interesting to me, and I believe a lot of artists might have this as they are able to draw an image by picturing it in their brains, something I have never been able to do.
ReplyDeleteKatrina, this blog post immediately reminded me of my cousin who kind of has a photographic memory, of sorts. He is someone who, after reading a book, intensely, can understand and memorize it. He, however, is one of the laziest people I have ever met yet he took all AP classes, honors classes, and did many extracurriculars and aced them. Due to his “photographic memory”, he is able to accomplish the same, maybe even more than me, but using half the effort. I will always be jealous of him and especially since he is 2 years older than me, my parents and family members always compare me but fail to realize that we both were not gifting with the same brain power.
ReplyDeleteHi Katrina! There is an endless romanticism of photographic memories, of how characters like Sherlock Holmes are able to use a prodigious intellect with their “photographic memories” to accomplish tasks people can only dream of. It's kind of sobering to find out that its not real :(. On that note its still really cool how the people with eidetic memories are able to perfectly recall things even if it is in an extremely short time window where they can do this.
ReplyDeleteHey Katrina, the concept of a photographic memory was one I was jealous of not having when I was a kid. I remember reading a book about a family that goes on adventures, and one of the kids had a photographic memory. When they came upon a treasure map, the kid looked at it for a few seconds and then ate the piece of paper (I have no idea why). I remember thinking how cool it was to be able to look at any piece of paper and immediately remember all its contents. However, reading your blog post, I have come to realize the difficulty if not straight up impossibility of this ability. Nevertheless, it would be a really cool superpower to have.
ReplyDeleteI used to really want a photographic memory but I have a friend who has an eidetic memory where she can remember everything people have ever said to her. The older I get, the less cool the idea of remembering everything is. I personally have a lot of times in my life that I have repressed and the notion of remembering everything sounds terrible. But I do remember a lot more minuscule details than most people, which is a blessing and a curse, it’s painful to be the only one who remembers. I’m ok with not knowing everything, moments are sometimes more beautiful knowing that I will never be there again, knowing that everything will never be the same.
ReplyDeleteHi Katrina! I have also always read about photographic memories in books and movies and that it was the most wonderful skill to have. Just think, how much easier would tests be if I could have a picture of the textbook stored in my head. It would also be so much easier to recite a speech or play a piece of music without the score. I was both sad and shocked to find out from your blog that photographic memory does not actually exist, but eidetic memory also sounds very fascinating. It is a shame that eidetic memory is very short-term and can not be remembered for a long period of time, but it is still a skill that I wish I had. I did some research and found that eidetic memory is fairly rare in people. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Katrina! Photographic memory really seems like such a convenient and amazing ability to have. I used to read the Cam Jansen series in elementary school, in which a girl with photographic memory solved mysteries. I used to wonder what it would be like to have a photographic memory, or be like those people who could pass tests without studying for them or giving their best effort. The concept of eldetic memory sounds really cool, but it is kind of sad knowing that it may be the closest to photographic memory that we'll be able to get to.
ReplyDeleteHi Katrina, in the past my mom told me that in her high school days, she used to have photographic memory that helped her to memorize the answers for her test. Before reading your blog, I imagined photographic memory was an ability that helped one see a literal photo of a page without actually looking at it, however, now I have a better understanding of how photographic memory works. I wonder if photo graphic memory is a trait that is passed down through genes and if it is, hopefully I gain this ability in the future.
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