Ask HN: Do you believe in eidetic/photographic memory? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Do you believe in eidetic/photographic memory?

2 pointsalganet18 comments

This idea has been obviously subject to many especulations over the years and overly-fantasized by the media.

Do you believe there's any truth to it? Regular people with extraordinary memories that can remember specific details?

Speaking as someone with a ridiculous memory for specifics and details, no. I don't think anyone could function with eidetic memory and even having a really good memory is difficult. The ability to forget should not be underestimated.

I guess you answered the question (you don't believe in it), but I find "ability to remember" a poor description for what such skill might actually be.

For example, the ability to recognize that something is not remembered and how to deal with the discrepancies might be underestimated in how humans interact with their own memories.

We all have this, right? If I tell you that there are 11 digits in the decimal system, you know there's something wrong. There's a whole system in your head that expects the decimal system to have 10 digits. At some point, it was memory, but then it became something more.

Of course, the number system is something simple. My question extends this kind of thinking to possible different areas.

The decimal system I can reason out through my knowledge of language and context, it does not require having learned about it.

How would you feel about being friends with someone who remembers everything? Long ago I learned to not show off my memory because few want to be in a relationship with someone who is going to remember every failing and slight even if those failings and slights are not held against them. Most people seem very good at forgetting and very good at identifying what they should forget and when they can use forgetting as an excuse, etc, that all falls apart if you are friends with someone who remembers it all or even most of it.

I half think most people actually remember just as well as I do, I just failed to develop the skill of forgetting. I just don't think you could function in society with a perfect memory, it is bad enough with a good memory.

You have knowledge about the decimal system without ever had to learned it? Makes no sense. Seems like you're trying to make an implied distinction about things we learn naturally and things we read and rehearse.

Ultimately, you're skipping the question and jumping to consequences. You don't care about whether it exists or not, you're trying to think what it means if it does. However, since you're skipping what it actually means, that whole set of consequences is constrained to your worldview (or some worldview you decided should be presented in this discussion).

In my conception of the idea, there is no perceptible side-effect of eidetic memory on normal relationships. It would require some apparatus to detect such things.

I will accept your reversion of things, now that I restated the problem back to the original question. I would gladly be friends with someone who remembers everything and I think it would be a productive friendship.

Digits, 11, decimal, and system; provides all the context required to reason out that the decimal system does not contain 11 digits. Unless you think not learning about the decimal system also means you never learned any words or roots used by the decimal system and magically became ignorant of the languages English is built on.

Why did you focused on a simple example and missed the point?

Because your "points" were all more of the same and my responses would have been the same, walking you though the logic of my reasoning and just reiterating what I said. I was making a point. My response would have been different had you shown some effort in wanting to understanding what I said, but instead you made assertions about things like what I care about and said that you don't think there would be any downsides with nothing to support it but your ideal, etc.

I understand your frustration. I just don't share the same feeling.

I knew a woman who said she had a photographic memory but she said that she did not have the IQ to take advantage of it. She remembered a lot of stuff but it was just information to her. She worked in general office jobs. She did not seem to be any sharper than most or have any particular extra ordinary talent.

There are documented cases of people that can remember every day of their lives. I remember a kid that was interviewed. He said he remembered all the best days of his life but the downside was that he also remembered all the worst days of his life too.

If I'm given those choices, I think I will pick my forgetful memory.

So, you believe then?

The documented case 100%. There are multiple cases that have been documented. The other, somewhat since she has no reason to lie.

https://irisreading.com/5-stories-of-people-who-remember-eve...

In your opinion, having an enhanced memory is the same as "remembering everything"?

I don't doubt that there are documented cases of that, but I'm trying to be more open minded about what it means (doesn't mean you have to be as well, but I'm curious if you are thinking exclusively about "remembering everything").

No, it's not the same.

I would think that HN would be a place where people with photographic memory are more likely to appear. Shame there hasn't been more input from the community.

I see, it's all or nothing for you then?

I'm not sure. But as a child, I didn't understand what it meant to "study" for a test. Didn't you read the book? Just look at the book in your head!

That sort of visual memory declined sharply after puberty.

I was still pretty good at memorizing things; in high school, memorizing lines for drama productions. But that was nothing like the visual memory that I used to have.

Almost certain that this isn't quite what is meant by photographic memory, but I wonder if what I experienced was anything at all related.

Me too, I remember how easy it was to remember stuff as a 9 or 10 year old. Math was a breeze. I didn't even have to write any of the problems out. I could just do it in my mind. Every thing just came easy. I don't know when but it certainly changed after I got to 7th grade.

I'm sure part of it was the amount of information I was expected to remember but something changed on how easy it was to remember stuff.

It's absolutely true that there are people with extraordinary memory abilities. The interesting question is whether or not that's a learnable skill. I suspect it is.

I read a book about a memory competition champ. He attributed his abilities to learned tricks. He said his normal ability to remember was no better than most.

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