Imagine you're in a big meeting.
You've been preparing for months to get the slide deck perfect and your public speaking skills primed. Then your boss asks you about a metric from an email you merely glanced at in between Zoom calls three weeks ago. You don't even break a sweat as you recite the data with ease. Everyone applauds and gives you kudos for being so well prepared.
You smile coyly because little do they know you could recall the information because of your photographic memory.
That's how we all envision a photographic memory would work, right? Having the ability to remember data and facts by merely taking a mental image would be a game-changing skill to add to your resume.
But is that really how it works? Let's get to the bottom of it.
What Is Photographic Memory?
A photographic memory is when a person has the ability to recall images or information in extreme detail. It's believed you can remember these mental pictures in your head forever like they're stored in a filing cabinet in your mind. When you need to remember the information, you can open the file you need and recall the image and details with accuracy. While the concept has some truth to it, there is skepticism around photographic memory the way we all know it.
Photographic Memory Is Actually Eidetic Memory
What we're more likely to be witnessing or experiencing when someone claims to have a photographic memory is a result of eidetic memory. The word eidetic comes from the Greek word for "visible form." Eidetic memory, often used interchangeably with photographic memory even though the phenomenon is not the same, is when you can recall an image in detail for a brief period, usually a few seconds to minutes, after seeing it only once.
People with an eidetic memory, known as eidetikers, can capture mental images momentarily in their mind's eye, but after only a few minutes, the memory changes or fades away completely. Eidetic memory is generally not found in adults and has only been reported in a small percentage of children, often disappearing entirely as the children approach adulthood. The key difference between eidetic memory and photographic memory is the period of time in which the information is retained (i.e., a few seconds or minutes vs. forever).
Famous People With Photographic Memory
While a photographic memory may not be their claim to fame, there are many people in the spotlight who are believed to have a photographic memory. Kim Peek, a savant and the man who inspired the 1988 film Rain Man, was able to memorize books from an early age and could recite as many as 12,000 books. Many say artist Leonardo Di Vinci had a photographic memory, though based on the time he was alive, there is little to confirm the claim.
People have said that Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, could recite long documents and poems years after reading them. He's not the only president who has been known to have a photographic memory. The 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, has also been said to have the ability to recall information, like speeches, faces, and names, with extreme detail.
Other famous people purported to have/have had photographic memory include:
- Nikola Tesla
- Jerry Lucas
- Guillermo del Toro
- Ferdinand Marcos
- Sergei Rachmaninoff
- Mr. T
The Science Behind Photographic Memory
The posterior parietal cortex is the portion of the brain that controls visual memory. Our visual memory allows us to retrieve information, like mental images of people, places, and things. For the average person, these mental images are only stored in our brain for a few seconds before being transferred to our short-term memory or forgetting it altogether.
There is little scientific evidence that supports photographic memory, and there is skepticism around eidetic memory. This skepticism was fueled by a 1970s study by scientist Charles Stromeyer. In the study, a student named Elizabeth claimed to memorize and recall poetry in a foreign language in a single glance, but she was the only person on record to pass the test. The study later became questionable because the researcher married his test subject.
How to Develop Photographic Memory
Not to burst your bubble, but developing a photographic memory and the ability to mentally capture and store photos in your mind's eye is probably off the table. It's more of a "you either have it or you don't" situation. The closest people come to a photographic memory is an eidetic memory, and the percentage of the population that possesses that trait is very small.
As incredible as it would be to keep those mental receipts in your head, photographic memory and eidetic memory are not acquirable skills. But that doesn't mean there aren't ways to improve your memory.
Mnemonic Systems
Mnemonic systems are one of the best ways to enhance your memory. These strategies and techniques help you retain and retrieve data in your memory. Mnemonic systems make it easier for you to remember facts by providing you with tools to memorize and later recall information. Here are a few common mnemonic systems you can use today.
Acronyms and Acrostics
These are the most well-known mnemonic systems. Acronyms are abbreviations formed using the first letter of other words. Common acronym examples include FYI (for your information), ETA (estimated time of arrival), and ICYMI (in case you missed it). Acronyms have become a part of our everyday lives, but they can also be used to remember new information.
An acrostic is similar to an acronym, but instead of using letters to form an abbreviation, it uses words to form a poem or a phrase. Remember, "please excuse my dear Aunt Sally"? It's an acrostic many students learn to remember the order of operations in math class. Try creating your own acronym or acrostic the next time you need to remember important information.
Chunking
Chunking is exactly as it sounds. It’s organizing information into groups or chunks to make it easier to remember. Think about how you recite a ten-digit phone number. You usually don't just rattle off all ten numbers. Most people say the first three, followed by the next three, and then the last four.
We chunk the information to make it easier to remember and recite. The same logic can be applied to remembering lists or other information besides numbers. Group similar items together to improve your odds of remembering the data.
Music
I can recite all fifty states in alphabetical order, thanks to a song I learned in fifth grade. I've carried this information around with me for years because I learned the list of states in a catchy tune.
One of the first songs we learn as a child is a mnemonic system. We are taught to sing our ABCs to help us learn our alphabet. This same tool can be applied to remember other facts. Plug the information you need to remember to tune of your favorite song, and I bet you'll be able to recall the information long after you need it.
Rhymes
How many nursery rhymes can you recite from your childhood?
Similar to music, rhymes can be used as a mnemonic system to improve our memory. Rhyming words can be used to help us recall information because it follows a singsong pattern. Rhymes are easy to recall and often stick with us, just like song lyrics.
Keywords and Making Connections
You can improve your ability to recall facts by using keywords. By connecting a keyword to a word or phrase you're trying to learn, the association will trigger your memory.
Similarly, you can make connections between attributes and what you're trying to learn. A great time to use this is when you're trying to learn a person's name. You can also try Anna Faris's memory trick from The House Bunny.
Upon meeting them for the first time, you may observe a notable quality that you can attach to their name in your head. This will make you more likely to remember it the next time you meet—for example, Ambitious Angela or Happy Hannah.
If you want to learn more about "memory athletes" and developing your memory, consider reading Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer.
The Benefits of Photographic Memory in the Workplace
While you might not be able to develop photographic memory, there are valuable lessons we can learn from the concept that we can apply in the workplace. If we want to prime our brain to be in tip-top shape to remember essential meeting notes and to-dos, start by getting a good night's sleep. Lack of sleep inhibits concentration and productivity. Exercise and meditation also help fuel our memory to operate at its best.
When we set our brains up for success, we’re more likely to remember old information and learn new information.
We can also exercise our brains like we exercise our bodies. Train your brain by reading and doing puzzles, both physical and mental, like crosswords and sudokus. Also, learning new skills and approaching life with a learner's mindset helps to improve memory. Additionally, utilizing mnemonic systems to learn proves beneficial when you’re trying to remember new information.
When all else fails, if you can’t take a mental photograph to remember something, take a digital one.
