Unlimited memory - scary or good?
I was reading an article about a Wisconsin man who has extraordinary memory known as hyperthymestic syndrome. It allows him to recall pretty much any day of his life in astonishing detail. Most of us have a good memory but with time events, people, specific details fade away leaving us with little or no memory, but apparently there are three people in the world (at least those who were identified by medical tests) who are able to recall any day of their life. Here is an example from the article:
Asked about one black and white picture taken in the Badlands of South Dakota, he remembered exactly when it was taken: Tuesday, July 28, 1964, the same day as a trip to Mount Rushmore. He also remembered that the temperature reached 100 degrees and that they tried to keep Funny Face drinks cool in a Thermos in the back of the car.
This extraordinary ability at first seems like an amazing thing to have but really when you think of it, there are many moments of our life we would prefer not to recall at all and forget about them forever. At least this is how I would see it... All three people are being carefully studied right now by researchers to unlock the mystery behind this unlimited memory in hopes to help others, who - as they age - lose their the ability to remember things.
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