Can Humans Really Have Photographic Memory?

People with photographic memory, also called eidetic memory, can codify visual or written information in their thoughts in a very detailed way. They process the image by making an accurate scan. Hours later, they can still remember it as if it were right in front of them.

Researchers believe that only about 1% of the population has this ability. However, there is some controversy as to whether it even exists.

Some people think that it is only children who have this ability that they lose with age. Either because they do not stimulate or train the ability, or because adults basically codify things visually and verbally.

Others believe it is merely a myth, since the only proof of it comes from those who claim to have this ability. No cognitive test or objective evaluation supports the idea.

What is photographic memory?

This type of memory is called photographic because it is captured as if it were an image. In other words, people with high eidetic memory remember everything that happens in a picture or in a book, exactly as it looks.

This can also apply to auditory stimuli. In this case, the person codifies melodies or sounds that they hear, like an image in their memory. The extraordinary thing about this type of memory is the details that people are able to remember. For example, they can sometimes remember the punctuation on an entire page.

While researchers are interested in these claims, they have not yet determined whether photographic memory actually exists. Nor have they prepared for the factors that would give some individuals this ability.

It seems to be an extremely rare ability, more common in children. But, as we mentioned above, they usually lose the ability with age.

We must point out that visual memory and eidetic memory are not the same thing. The first is the ability to remember using visual stimuli. The second emphasizes the level of detail that an individual is able to remember.

Therefore, while most people are familiar with the concept of photographic memory, you can see why there is doubt about its existence. The little evidence that exists seems to support the idea that these individuals can do what they can, due to a combination of a range of skills.

Thus, the ability to remember things is so detailed due to a good visual memory, familiarity with the material, effort and even mnemonics. In fact, most people who have “photographic memory” say that they have had it all their lives and have kept practicing it.

Loci methods

Individuals with abilities generally want to show them. For example, they might draw a map of Italy after seeing it only once. Or they may remember every single day of their lives from childhood or remember every page of a 9000 page book. However, few can unveil what they are actually doing to get these incredible results.

Only a few people with this incredible ability have told about their tricks. Many of them use the Loci method, also known as the Palace of Memories. Palace of Memories is a useful technique based on spatial memory.

According to psychologists who specialize in memory, the strongest memories are related to an image, a place and / or emotions. This is why you are more likely to be able to remember something if, for example, you can remember where it happened.

Therefore, the Loci method involves imagining that you are on a journey through a place you know well. Ideas and memories are “gathered” or represented by things that you see along the way. In other words, imagine that each element is, for example, a vase, a plant or a painting.

As you then walk through this familiar place, the memories emerge by themselves. Humans have been using this method since the 5th century BC and it has been the subject of extensive research. Studies show that it significantly helps people’s memory.

Can one learn to get photographic memory?