Career Center Memory SkillsPhotographic memory is a rare element that is found in less than 10% of the population. It will often be found in children, and most of them will lose this ability by the time they become adults. The concept of photographic memory is so rare that someone people don't believe it exists.
What is believed by some researchers is that photographic memory is a result of the brain processing and storing information in an abnormal manner. Many people believe that those who have photographic memories are fortunate. However, this may not be the case.
One of the problems with having a photographic memory is that you may absorb too much information, and you may have to deal with a lot of data that is irrelevant. Having to deal with large amounts of irrelevant data could reduce your ability to efficiently recall information. People who have photographic memories may also have a hard time forgetting things that they don't desire to remember. Humans are not designed to be mere databases which store tremendous amounts of information. Memory is only important when it can be used to recall information that is relevant. Being able to use your memory is much more important than simply being able to store information.
Monks who lived during the Middle Ages would enhance their memories by creating images in their minds which would allow them to store and use information that was important. It was not enough for them to just store and have access to large amounts of information. It was also important for them to use these images to create a number of connections between unrelated elements. A number of famous people were believed to have photographic memories, and some of them were Mozart and Claude Monet. However, there has been some controversy which has arisen on the topic of photographic memory.
Many professionals believe that the concept is a myth. A study was conducted on a number of chess Grandmasters, and while they are able to recall large amounts of information about positions, they performed like people who weren't masters when they were presented with chess piece positions that would not exist in a real world situation. At the same time, there has also been evidence to show that photographic memory is a real phenomenon. A woman who was studied by Charles Stromeyer was capable of remembering poetry that had been written in a different language, and she could recall the information years later.
Solomon V. Shereshevskii is another example of an individual who had memory capabilities that appeared to be photographic. He could memorize large amounts of words, and was capable of remembering them after many years had passed. While some believed that he had an unlimited photographic memory, it is very likely that he used a number of different memory techniques. In addition to this, a number of humans have been placed in the Guinness Book of Records for having abnormal memories. There have also been people with Asperger's syndrome who have demonstrated photographic memories as well.
The overall evidence for photographic memory is strong. However, it is not well understood. The brain of someone who has a photographic memory will store information in a manner which is much different than most people. It is likely that the perception of photographic memory that is viewed by most people is not quite accurate. While there are people who have extraordinary memories, it is unlikely that they are able to perfectly recall every piece of information that they are exposed to. It is likely that the debate for and against the existence of photographic memory will continue to rage on. Some savants have been known to have what appears to be a photographic memory, and the most notable example is Kim Peek.
| While you may not be able to develop a photographic memory, there are some things you can do to improve your memory. Mnemonics is a good example of techniques you can use to strengthen your ability to remember. However, these techniques require large amounts of practice, and some techniques may be better for certain situations than others. Performing mental exercising will allow you to enhance your brain, and it will keep your mind sharp and healthy. ROFLMAO |
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I remember my teacher telling me that I have photographic memory. Ever since then i couldn't understand how it worked or what it was. To tell you the truth, I find that i have the worst memory when it comes to studying or sometimes remembering names. But I'm pretty sure i can remember the persons face or a sheet of information very well. When I am in a test and i try to remember the things i have studied, i trace back to the sheet of paper i was holding when i was studying it and simply remember the image and then the answer pops up because i can see it (in my head). I don't know if it makes sense, but i can't really explain it. I find it odd and an unreliable way to remember things because they don't stay in my mind for long. Memory is a very interesting topic and i hope to study more about it in the future. Until then, i'll just have to continue using it whether its photographic or not.... |
| I think i have i am in the same shoe as Sali, i mean exactly the same, i recall pictures of what i studied an d the answer just pops into my head, i on't know what the hell that is photographic memory or not, all i know is it helps me and i am happy about it... |
| I think I have the same as Sali and Roland and I would like to find out more about what it is bc It is amazing to me..I can remember 100 phone numbers in my head and I when I study for test I can look at the paper and then It just pops in my head when im taking the test..I would like to find out more about this... |
| I'm just curious, if the person with eidetic memory ability recall things like in a page or something, if it's whole words with no pattern or picture or whatsoever, would that person recall the image of the words, or remember it word per word? I have some kind of memory like you guys have, but it's very limited. I'd be more likely to call it "srtong visual imagery" than photographic memory though :p |
| I am diffinately in the same baot you guys all i have to do to memorize stuff for example produce codes I memorized 50 in about 12 minutes I looked at the picture of the produce and then the four digit number next to it when I felt I was done I closed my eyes and went down each page as I saw them in my mind This is also how I have learned Foreign lanuages I just see the word and remember the meaning I memorize the vocab or even complete sentences. Are any of you all musically inclined? I am but I suck at Math is that why story problems are so hard because I can't see all the picture clearly? I also memorize through music or certain rythems that I make up in my head any feed back would be great thanks |
| I have the same kind of memory. When I try to recall information for a test, i think about the book or notes i studied from and visualize them in my head and think of where the answer was. I'm also good at spelling because I remember what the written word looks like. When I'm studying a different language or trying to say someone's name, I need to see the words written down in order to say them right. I'm also really good with directions. If I drive somewhere once, I can usually remember how to get there again, not by street signs but by visual memory. They need to do more research on this. |
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i think i have a photographic memory i m ean i hope i do bcuase when i remember most things i remmeber it like a pictture on a canvas not thoughts flaoting in my head i think that i have a cluterred mind becuase i remmeber things i pratically never use so it's probaly correct to say that my memory remembers to much stuff thank you |
| I'm not quite sure if you would call it photographic memory, but I have this strange memory quirk where I'll be flipping through pages while in the library and after I've actually started reading the book, I can point out the exact places where I had flipped. It's not like I actually know what it says because I only quickly flipped through... it's more like I remember the exact shape and placement of the letters. The same works for history class. I usually map out a list of facts on a few sheets of paper and then rip through them right before the test... then when I see the questions, I instantly remember the placement of the bullets, letters, and paragraph markers. I usually make a high A using this technique. Works for Latin, English, and Japanese as well. ^_^ |
| I am sure that everyone in this category like me is excellent at spelling and math. Visualizing and remembering things with me seem to take well to things of this nature. You'll notice that no one here who said they have photographic memory probably miss-spelled any words. I know I have this type of memory and learning ability but probably not such a great audible memory. I'm great with faces, but terrible with names unless I've seen it written down in association with that person. Also I have a hard time re-telling jokes that I saw a stand-up comedian do. I always remember their body language though. |
| none of you have photographic memories sorry to disappoint, but every one does all the things listed some just more then others. This does not mean you have a photographic memory look up the defintion and if you can do as said then you probly have one. |
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Let Say you do have that kind of memory ability that all the other people describing on their comments Where can we use it what kind of work lines look for that kind of people |
| One more question if you only have face memorie if you never forget a face that u have once seen is there any kind of line of work that we can use that |
| It's interesting to read about this because the descriptions in the article above match what I've experienced most of my life. I remember directions by comparing what I am seeing with what I saw the last time I was there or by what I saw when I looked at the map, recalling the previous images near perfectly. I can remember complicated instructions after being SHOWN how to do something just once by recalling what I saw with near perfect detail. Kind of sucks though, I can't remember any of my friend's birthdays and constantly forget to do important things that one would think, or hope, would stand out in my memory. Great at math, spelling, music, grammar. Listening to a familiar song will elicit near perfect photographic memories of what I was looking at or doing the last time I heard the song and often the same emotions I was experiencing too. These memories and pictures stay with me for years after they took place and don't, or rarely, fade much at all. Similar to not remembering birthdays I have a very difficult time remembering names and often forget whole experiences while remembering most others with perfect detail. |
| Is it possible to induce photographic memory? |
| Being a human camera has both positive and negative advantages because everything photographed shows up on the theater screen of the mind...in technicolor! |
| you can create photographic memory, it takes a few months but you should eventually be able to recite a page from a book from less than a second of viewing with proper training. |
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I have the same as Sali and the others. Whenever im studying (which isnt often) and I have to recite, the actual paper comes in from of my vision and I can pretty much read it directly in my mind. Although I have found out it is different that just "reading" the image. It's more like creating the image as my eyes pass on the sheet of paper (in my mind)(sorry it doesnt make sense but it does in my head). Also I have the incredible ability to remember the things im interested in (obviously) but with an accuracy that even people concerned by the event I recall dont remember it as vividly as I do. I one day was particularly good for me or bad for that matter, I can easily recall the scene, the people present, who was wearing what, how the weather was etc etc. Dunno if it is that sepcial but the people I know dont understand how i can remember all these things (but it doesnt stop here, I just need to see an image to be able to say anything i know related to it, and usually it is a lot) I see now that I also collect huge (HUGE) amount of unecessary infos. When I see a page of a textbook for instance, I will not only perfectly see the text written on it, or image, I will also see all the obvious imperfections in the paper, stains...etc. This is irrelevant for example. So I wanted to know, if I really do have a photographic memory, is there a training or somthing to be able to select the info I collect? Although I find it useful sometimes, as you never know when smth is going to be useful, even if it takes year to use, some "irrelevant" infos eventually become useful some day. So selective mem isnt the right way either. I guess. Thanks for reading the story of my mind. |
| I use car and bus registrations from as far back as 1950 as access codes for my various online accounts. I do not remember the numbers per se but visualise the vehicles where I might have expected to see them - i.e. a snapshot, if you like, and then just read off the number I require. More recently, we sang a psalm in church and I just could not recall the name of the tune. I knew that it was No 252 in The Anglican Hymn Book - don't ask why I knew this, I just did - so I visualised 252 in the particular music typeface of this book - and there it was - 'Cromer'. That in itself convinces me that there is such a thing as a photographic memory. |
| All of you doesn't have photographic memory, cause when you say photographic memory, you can remember things which you've heard or seen. That's all I can clarify. |
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If you study a topic well enough, of course the answer's going to "pop" in your head. Students these days would love to have photographic memories; less time studying, more time playing. I know I would. |
| I have always considered myself to have a photographic memory. But it was always like looking through a glass jar, everything else was blurry. But recently now that I've entered highschool, it has started to get better suprisingly fast. I can recall myself walking through school, all my classes, the luch lady's face, and my tests. Of course I have a ton of useless information in my head that I don't even try to remember. I have very rarely tried to commet something to memory. Despite what this and many other articles have said, I find my skills getting better the older I get. When I was younger, I could only recall colors and single objects, like a car surrounded by nothing (not white like paper, nothing like where your eyesight ends). But now I can remeber an entire room along with the people. It hasn't yet developed to a point where I can "cheat" on tests, I can't remember words, but it's getting there. I never knew that I could "practice". But know I am going to sit and focus, trying to make it more precise. Of course I am going to get a horrible headache doing it. I find it cool that I also have perfect sound memory, so I don't have an ipod. I am also very partial to EMFs, and can tell when someone turns on appliances. Sitting in class, I can "sense" kids on the phones because of the electrical activity. It's like a pulling to where it is. Maybe I'm just messed up. I have very vivid memories (I can feel heat, smell, taste, and,... pain.) But when I was little I had very frequent night terrors. I have been able to hold them off for about a year and three months now, so I'm getting better with control. Of course every now and then, mainly at night when I'm tired, I can feel my sanity draining away. Sometimes my mind slows and I see after-images of when something moves. Random times during the day all my memories of the last few hours come rushing back, and I get a draining headache. It only lasts for seconds but its cool. Man I'm screwed up. Maybe I'm one of those freaks that has more control of the brains than other people. |
| im same as sali and roland. i cant remember names or things i study for, but faces and things i see on paper, or memorizing something i hear on tv or something is incredibly easy for me. I can se or hea something once and remember it and people will always be like, geez how many times have you watched that commercial or, how do you remember what it looks like? |
| yea, i have the same thing like my boss wrote down the 4 diget code to a gate and i lost the peice of paper but when i got to the gate i could see him writing the note in my head and remebered exact things he did to help me remember and got it on my first try. also, when im studying and im doing a test and get stoped by a question, i can remember the exact page, where the answer is on the page, and see the words kinda but its blurry and i usualy remeber the answer if not i just cant quite read/remember what was exactly on the page. its very interesting to me. |
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I have a memory that took me by suprise at age 20. While going through Basic Training we had to read a small book about regulations. That took three days standing at the foot of our bunks. On the forth day the TI came around to do inspections and quiz us about the material. Every time he asked a question the page that the information was on jumped up in front of my eyes. I would look down the page to the part he was asking about, and read it to him. After about ten questions I realized that I would have to make a mistake so he could yell at me and move on to the next guy, so as I read to him, I looked ahead to where I could reverse two words in the sentence. He corrected me and moved on. I could even see the tiny fibers that made up the recycled paper. I will say this. I have NO memory, Just replay. Audio replay, Movie replay, Photo frame. I can look at a frame and examine it in detail from corner to corner. Now the down side. Dyslexia, zero social intuitiveness, Hyperactive. IQ Very high. Very fast mind which helps me to pre assemble sentences before speaking. Years of sociology and pshyc to help me understand and navigate my social environment. All this makes me a bit of a literalist, which really works well in Engineering, but a bit Geeky socially. I have seen way too much, and understand way to much. I have smoked cigarettes since I was 19 because it acts like an eraser on a blackboard, A kind of reset. I am now 55 yrs on this journey. |
| "While you may not be able to develop a photographic memory, there are some things you can do to improve your memory." Prove. |
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I'm not sure if all of your experiences mean photographic memory but I sure know that yours are way better than the average humans. Kim Peek definitely has strong memory as he's been tested many times. He reads two pages at about 5 seconds and can recall about 98% of the data. However I think Kim peek is more of a knowledge memory, not photographic. This means you people are more likely to have photographic memory than Kim Peek. Your brain seems to work abnormally through your optic nerve and seems to record much better. Seeing that some of you lack logical skills (this especially includes mathematics), this means your mind is crucially more visionary than logical. Most people has about near balance but the case is different for you guys. The reason I cannot label Kim Peek having photographic memory is because he works mostly by reading than imagery. However, there is this other savant who has great scope of memory in city landscapes, and his name is Stephen Wiltshire and he is known as the camera man. |
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As an addition to the above post, I have some theories of great memory production. The key of memory is appealment. If something appeals to you to the point it makes you happy, it is more likely that that memory will be stronger. That is probably how savant Stephen is only known to remember city-landscapes, not other images. His mind is abnormally fascinated by the landscape. As you become intrigued by your own memory, it will play near the same part. |
| I have seen some comments here that make me feel like writing to most of you since you seem to have my similar experiences. I cannot visualize math to save my life. I will memorize things enough to get me through but geometry and trig were easier than my other maths. I can remember things by seeing it in my head. I know many details that have nothing to do with the main memory from what I see in my head. Smells, sounds, and tastes can bring back memories and emotions that were being felt when the memory was made. I am good at many things because of this type of memory but at the same time , I have my downfalls as well. I feel the same about names because I have no visual reference. I can however remember people and have remembered patients that I have not seen in years. I can remember things from my childhood extremely vividly but other memories that others share, I have no recollection of. I hope I find what type of work is best suited for this. Thanks for everyone sharing because that makes me feel better. |
| yea, no problem crito. for you guys that have a hard time with names you should try and picture yourself writing it down on a peice of paper, or write it down or something. that helps me to remember baecause when you try and think of it you have a visual reference. |
| I got 100% in biology 12.. but only 90 in math, i tend to remember things much better then i can understand them |
| I don't think I have a photographic memory, though I have a very good memory for factual information. However, I can instinctively tell if a word I have seen before is spelt wrongly. The only word I got wrong in weekly spelling tests at ten years old was soliloquy. |
| I think I have a photographic memory as well. The strength of my memory varies though depending on how well I want to know this thing. For example, I tested myself today and looked at a Leon's store while passing by in the car. I can still remmeber the little vents on the roof and everything. It's like a picture comes into my mind and I see exactly what I saw before when looking out from the car. |
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The picture I'm getn from readn all this is that not everyone is actually learning n-e thing when studying etc., just pulling the image up on request...is this the case? I can walk thru a room and latr when someone says an item is lost I will look up think a moment then tell them where to find it. Doubt that's photographic on my part but willing to hear n-e thots on that. Speaking of hearing...if I hear a movie once or something that interests me or a certain sound trigr I am able to "quote at the right moment". |
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I think I might have photographic memory, but I'm not sure. My thoughts are like watching a movie, I can see my memories as if I were watching a home video taken from my point of view. I've been living in a dorm and I haven't seen my bedroom (at home) in three months, yet I can talk my mom through my room to find something that I want her to mail me. I can "see" my room just the way I left it. I can't remember things that I didn't notice to begin with... for example if you want me to walk through a room then picture it in my head, I won't include something (like a scuff mark on the wall) if I didn't notice it to begin with. When I am trying to remember something I can remember where it was like bottom left of a page or that I could see the front corner of a building from my 2 o'clock view. |
| Hello. I think we all should read more about photographic memory... it is heaps more complex then just remembering sometithing that happened in the past. I was watchin Derren Brown ( magic) is can memoraze the whole cambridge dictionary in 20 minutes or any other book. It's like having the book in his mind... and every now and then we can open the book and read himself. |
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Hey! I am very relieved to hear that there are people like me. :) I identify with a lot of what has been said: When studying for a test I look at the paper for 10 minutes or so the night before and the next day I bring it up in my head and read it off. I thought everyone could do this until one day my friend asked me how I studied so well. I told her I took a picture of the paper in my head and she told me what it was. I am really good at spelling as well because I read a lot and when asked to spell something I see the word in my head. I'm not good at math (except for geometry). Physics is even worse for me. As for names; okay this is going to sound crazy but it works for me. I imagine that I have a pen and I take a picture of their face and then write their name on the picture. I know it's weird but it helps me. One thing no one has mentioned is that at least my memory is short term. I cant pull up that piece of paper I studied for bio 4 years ago now. If I want anything to stick I have to go through the long process like everyone else. |
| im doing a paper on this and my studies don't show any proof of photographic memory but i do believe it exists |
| This is a great source of helpful information. |
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I have a photographic memory, i am dyslexic and dyspraxic but due to my memory i can read a book and perfectly recall it years later. Sometimes up to the point where i can tell a quote, page number and where abouts it is on that page without reference. A photographic memory isn't nice. i don't know how it works. sometimes i find that my short term memory feels non existent, but then i will randomly be able to recall something a few weeks later that i couldn't remember when i was first taught or shown it. but yeah, they deffo exist. either that or i'm crazy :) |
| I do not have a photographic memory, although i find it extremely interesting to learn about. I am very interested in the topic and wish that i would only improve my memory more by learning through my studies. I think that if you do have photographic memory it must be extrememly difficult to have meaningless information in your head all the time, but also remember that if God gave you that gift that it is very unique and amazing that you are able to use it and as you should. |
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i have a photographic memory and have barely needed to study for tests because i remember everything i read. i also remember rooms exactly, faces more than names, and by looking at a map once i know where i am. btw i get A's and b's without studying. :P (ok so i study a little but not all the time!) i am also add. i think (er hypothezize) that photographic memory is right brain based. add is kinda right brained-ish and i'm more of an artistic picture person. also whats interesting is my sis is dyslexic but she remembers numbers very well. however i cannot-(i HATE math) and i taught myself to read at age 2. no joke. the brain is so interesting, only time will tell what wonders our brain still has in store for us. |
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Yo. There's a difference between photographic memory types of learning styles. And when I say learning styles, I am referring to visual, audio, and kinematics types of learners. Many people are visual learners. They can recall pictures better than, say, an exact passage in a book. But that doesn't mean that you have photographic abilities. In addition, no matter who you are, you can also develop the ability to become really good at reading. Super readers can flip through pages and be able to read quick enough to catch what they're seeing. It's important to differentiate that from photographic memory, however. Photographic memory, from what I know, is when you can flip through books and recall exact pages and lines where passages are written. You can also recall pictures- i.e. A famous guy in history was able to redraw a picture after having only glimpsed at the piece of paper it was previously drawn on. The paper was burned afterwards, but due to his photographic memory, he was able to draw up again. And I don't think he was a savant, either. My biology teacher told me that photographic learners have a "memory bank", where they can only store up to a specific amount of memories before their new ones replace the old ones. But according to this article, there may be exceptions. :) |
| Maybe everyone could have photographic memory. Only if humans aimed to improve their minds, not destroy them like they are now adays. |
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photographic memory *AND types of learning styles excuse that. it would have completely changed the meaning of my paragraph. :/ |
| People tell me I have one. I don't think I do, because I do sometimes get things mixed up. On the other hand, I can look at a piece of sheet music once and know how to play the song w/o ever having to look at it again and stuff like that. I remember most things like that, I just "see it again" in my head. However, I have a terrible time remembering how to d algebraic equations. >_< |
| My 7-year-old son read a book yesterday ("My Father's Dragon") and today my husband was reading him a sentence from the book to go over words he may not have understood. My husband missed a word in the sentence and our son corrected him. They then went through about 10 pages in the book with our son reciting most of the sentences correctly from memory. We've wondered if he might have a photographic memory -- if such exists -- and regardless, what kind of teaching style is best for a kid with a memory like this. Any suggestions? |
| i know exactly what most of you mean, my spelling has always been good, and is improving constsntly as i read more. i can recall words by viewing images of the word in my mind. perhaps this relates to Raugh and Atkinson?? |
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Yeah, I'm pretty sure there is a difference between photographic memories and having strength in image-based knowledge. I mean, if you are good at non-verbal and visual task, doesn't that mean your right side of the brain is dominant? So just because you're more right brained doesn't have to mean you have a photographic memory. eh, I dunno. Something. |
| This is all very interesting. I am teacher at the college level and always found it interested how I could learn my students' names after one hour of being in class with them (around 30 students, each 8 weeks). This got me thinking and I started studying geography of the world (maps of continents). Within about an hour I had learned all the countries of the world and their corresponding locations. I just found it weird that I was able to learn all this information so easily and quickly. I always found studying for tests extremely easy because (similar to other comments), I am able to recall the page where I studied the information. I curious about any psychological studies done on this topic. |
| I have a moderate memory (I can remember movies very well and am usually able to quote them, as for remembering images, they're always blurry and not much of a help - I can remember where the word I want is on the page but I cannot read it)and I want to improve it, can anyone suggest any techniques, anything I can do to practice? |
| I'm 2IC at a childcare centre and my boss thinks I'm a freak because I can tell him the names of all the children at our centre (theres about 80 families), their email addresses, their mother's maiden names, if they have any medical issues simply because I can pull up their enrolment forms in my head, I even see their handwriting on the image in my mind. I have NEVER studied for a text the night before and for my final exams I just read through some notes about an hour before and could recall the answer as if the book was right in front of me. But its true what it says above about it taking up a lot of space in your brain...how much useless info have we got in our heads???like song lyrics, quotes from books, things I learnt in school from years ago... |
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It is very true that photographic memory found to be very rare, I have discovered this in my son when he was 12 years old. He has great memory of keeping in mind what he reads page after page and recalls in the same manner. There was one Doctor in India, who I heard had such type of memory, Dr. Neelkant Mandke. He read somewhere that he used to refer the reference book only once. any comments. |
| i wish i had a photographic memory...i dont study alot in school and i still seem to get a's and b's for the most part...but this is crazy the things i could do instead of the little effort in put n school if i had a photographic memory... this is extremely intersting...im doin a paper on the brain and how the average person memorizes things in a short period of time so this was extremely helpful!! |
| if anyone has mor information on "theory" of photographic memory can you drop me an email. it may have been a fluke or i might have stumble across a mental state making information retention 100%. i was reading last night, some boring yet essential information on frequencys, and when i woke up this morning i could see clearly in mind all the information. it has now dissapeard from mind but if i want to recall info is there without seeing the pictures. it a very odd feeling, has anyone else had this? has anyone else heard of this? |
| the last few days I've been training myself to develop photographic memory, but i can only remember abstract things. according to one website a person can develop a photographic memory by learning to connect the right and left side of their brain, from what I've read, but the websites I find focus on using creativity/developing the right side. I'm very right brained, so I need some way of developing my left brain. It has to do with sensing vs. intuition (look up mtbi). |
| I had photographic memory. When I was little, I was able to recall the entire streetscape of the journey and able to draw it out from my memory. Now at the age of 23, I found that I am losing my photographic memory. I still play chess in blindfold very well, because I can see the image of the chessboard and pieces as the game proceeds. Now I find that memorizing things is more becoming like a task. Things actually don't go into the brain unless I try very hard, or use repetition method. |
