photographic memory, would you want it?

[sheogorath]

So, suppose that photographic memory i real. Would you want it? This means that you would forever remember anything that you see good and bad. Personaly, I would want. I think that being able to remember anything in a book at first glance would outweigh the bad stuf that you saw.

[Kuhnada29]

photographic memory IS real. Autistic people think in pictures and images. Think Temple Grandin. It's predominately right-brain thinking, and has it's advantages. And yes I do want it, i'm actually working on developing that side now .When I socialize with people, instead of thinking of words, I think of pictures, images, and visualization instead to go with it. This is also how to establish a link between conscious and subconscious mind.

[Xei]

photographic memory IS real. Autistic people think in pictures and images. Think Temple Grandin. It's predominately right-brain thinking, and has it's advantages. Nobody's ever been able to demonstrate photographic memory; that is, being able to recall details of a scene in photographic detail for a long time. It's unlikely to even be possible as the human eye doesn't have that kind of resolution, even if the brain did. Autistic people think in all kinds of ways. The left brain / right brain dichotomy isn't true.

[Invader]

Nobody's ever been able to demonstrate photographic memory; that is, being able to recall details of a scene in photographic detail for a long time. Does this not count?

[The Invisible Man]

For some of the things I've seen? Hell no.

[OldManRiver]

I have a photographic memory, and contrary to popular belief this does not mean you remember ever single thing that you see.

[Bonsay]

I have a photographic memory, and contrary to popular belief this does not mean you remember ever single thing that you see. Then what is it like?

[OldManRiver]

If I read a book and then take a test on said book, I can picture the pages from the book and find the answers to the questions on the page, from memory.

[Bonsay]

How is that different from the popular image of photographic memory? You mean like only you control what you're going to remember?

[OldManRiver]

Most people think you remember everything you see, which isn't true.

[DeeryTheDeer]

Since I'm pretty artistic and love to remember the visual quality of my dreams, yes, of course I'd want it. Considering the myth that OldManRiver pointed out, I see no reason against it, personally.

[Folqueraine]

I'm seriously wondering about those people who voted yes... Have you ever seen a motorbike accident victim with their brains exposed? A drowned body washed up on the shore after a week in water? I have, and I wish I could forget. Imagine finding a relative who's hanged themselves? Watching someone waste away from cancer and remembering every minute of it? If anything, I wish I had the power to forget things.

[khh]

Assuming that getting it didn't somehow lower my intellect or ability to interact with people, then yes I certainly would! I love remembering things. It would come in handy.

[Spenner]

I'm seriously wondering about those people who voted yes... Have you ever seen a motorbike accident victim with their brains exposed? A drowned body washed up on the shore after a week in water? I have, and I wish I could forget. Imagine finding a relative who's hanged themselves? Watching someone waste away from cancer and remembering every minute of it? If anything, I wish I had the power to forget things. Just because you've seen terrible things and have the ability to see them as vividly as you have in the past doesn't mean that's the only thing you can see. There are so many other things you'd be able to pull up and view, and with some instance of mental control you can easily disregard the urge to recall such terrible things. I do it all the time, it's not that hard. I say yes, there are so many fantastic and beautiful things I picture that I'm never always able to make into a drawing or piece of art. So many lost ideas that don't deserve to just be a statistic to my short term memory >_>

[dajo]

I'm seriously wondering about those people who voted yes... Have you ever seen a motorbike accident victim with their brains exposed? A drowned body washed up on the shore after a week in water? I have, and I wish I could forget. Imagine finding a relative who's hanged themselves? Watching someone waste away from cancer and remembering every minute of it? If anything, I wish I had the power to forget things. Unfortunately it is exactly those images you can recall photographically even without having the ability discussed in this thread. I have seen a a man and a woman getting brought in after a Jet Ski accident when I was three years old (they both died) and this is probably the only thing I remember that vividly at that age. I think I'd still like that ability though. Memories are fun. And in a way the only thing that lets us really 'exist'. A moment that is universally forgotten might as well have never happened. Which will occur eventually. So why not a little more intensity of our memories while we're at it and therefore of life itself? Ups and Downs, equally welcome.

[khh]

I'm seriously wondering about those people who voted yes... Have you ever seen a motorbike accident victim with their brains exposed? A drowned body washed up on the shore after a week in water? I have, and I wish I could forget. Imagine finding a relative who's hanged themselves? Watching someone waste away from cancer and remembering every minute of it? If anything, I wish I had the power to forget things. You have, and, as you already have noted, those images stick very vividly in your mind. In fact, those things are about the only ones you can recall "photographically". So since you remember those events vividly anyway, why not also be able to remember good things as well?

[IndigoGhost]

So, suppose that photographic memory i real. Would you want it? This means that you would forever remember anything that you see good and bad. Personaly, I would want. I think that being able to remember anything in a book at first glance would outweigh the bad stuf that you saw. I'm autistic myself, I have a form of picture memory and i am kind of "rain-man" in many ways (Things will solve themselves for me in my minds eye without any help.) and its real trust me. It kinda sucks because i have tons of artistic ability but suck at hand drawing To elaborate on the "rain-man" comment as its related to memory. I have an ability for knowing without knowing and the best way to explain it is that someone can ask me something i have never learned but i will be able to tell them the answer because at some point in my life i have overheard a conversation or seen TV program or scanned a book without realizing and had picked this information up. I also have mild synthestesia. I'm such a bundle of fun.

[jarrhead]

I'm seriously wondering about those people who voted yes... Have you ever seen a motorbike accident victim with their brains exposed? A drowned body washed up on the shore after a week in water? I have, and I wish I could forget. Imagine finding a relative who's hanged themselves? Watching someone waste away from cancer and remembering every minute of it? If anything, I wish I had the power to forget things. You don't have a photographic memory... You still remember... So having a photographic memory makes no difference here. I have one, but you don't remember everything you see. You just remember vividly and with pictures/words. EDIT: khh beat me

[Kuhnada29]

I'm autistic myself, I have a form of picture memory and i am kind of "rain-man" in many ways (Things will solve themselves for me in my minds eye without any help.) and its real trust me. It kinda sucks because i have tons of artistic ability but suck at hand drawing To elaborate on the "rain-man" comment as its related to memory. I have an ability for knowing without knowing and the best way to explain it is that someone can ask me something i have never learned but i will be able to tell them the answer because at some point in my life i have overheard a conversation or seen TV program or scanned a book without realizing and had picked this information up. I also have mild synthestesia. I'm such a bundle of fun. You are very lucky. Left brainers like me are trying to get where your at. Hopefully I'm getting there since i create music.

[IndigoGhost]

You are very lucky. Left brainers like me are trying to get where your at. Hopefully I'm getting there since i create music. Its social death, so its not really all its cracked up to be

[OldManRiver]

I have an ability for knowing without knowing and the best way to explain it is that someone can ask me something i have never learned but i will be able to tell them the answer because at some point in my life i have overheard a conversation or seen TV program or scanned a book without realizing and had picked this information up. I am just like that too, that's why my little cousin told me I have a general knowledge of everything lol

[Kuhnada29]

Its social death, so its not really all its cracked up to be I doubt it. You have tremendous advantages and benefits that you might not even know you have. Your connected to your subconscious more than you know, that's why your able to easily pick up information that your subconscious has scanned already. Us left-brainers have to meditate or "Search" the subconscious deeply for it to come up. Say someone told me something on the phone a couple of days ago, and I'm trying to figure out what it was, it might take me a while to remember it, or i might remember it later on in the day, while for you might automatically remember it on the spot fast, and easy. I just find it hard to believe socializing is hard for you. Do you do any art or something that uses creativity? I bet your good at that. Is recalling dreams is easy for you?

[IndigoGhost]

I am just like that too, that's why my little cousin told me I have a general knowledge of everything lol Cool is it not? I doubt it. You have tremendous advantages and benefits that you might not even know you have. Your connected to your subconscious more than you know, that's why your able to easily pick up information that your subconscious has scanned already. Us left-brainers have to meditate or "Search" the subconscious deeply for it to come up. Say someone told me something on the phone a couple of days ago, and I'm trying to figure out what it was, it might take me a while to remember it, or i might remember it later on in the day, while for you might automatically remember it on the spot fast, and easy. I just find it hard to believe socializing is hard for you. Do you do any art or something that uses creativity? I bet your good at that. Is recalling dreams is easy for you? The form of autism i have is aspergers syndrome, read up about it and you will realise why its social death and not all its cracked up to be. I have also had a few people tell me i may also have savant syndrome. It has its benefits and has its weaknesses, i will say though that its nice to have something that almost makes you destined to succeed and will drive you forward to success without even trying. The funny thing is i have a family genetic thing where i have bad dream recall, no idea what its called though. I can train it but its pretty hard for me. I am a martial artist, i am not sure if that counts or not but i am good at what i do, I am artistic but i have a horrible problem with drawing because of dyslexia making the fine motor control of my hands pretty bad, i think its a shame really. Also just in case you did not know, meditation is a left brained act so if your training the right side of the brain with it then its kinda counterintuitive, i would not give it up though

[Kuhnada29]

[QUOTE=IndigoGhost;1360329]Cool is it not? It has its benefits and has its weaknesses, i will say though that its nice to have something that almost makes you destined to succeed and will drive you forward to success without even trying. yes this is what I was talking about. Great advantage Also just in case you did not know, meditation is a left brained act so if your training the right side of the brain with it then its kinda counterintuitive, i would not give it up though I figured meditation is a right brain acted, because it clears conscious/logical/left brain thoughts, while the right-brain has a chance to dominate. It increases intuition, creativity, decreases stress, anxiety, etc. etc.

[Spenner]

Cool is it not? The form of autism i have is aspergers syndrome, read up about it and you will realise why its social death and not all its cracked up to be. I have also had a few people tell me i may also have savant syndrome. It has its benefits and has its weaknesses, i will say though that its nice to have something that almost makes you destined to succeed and will drive you forward to success without even trying. The funny thing is i have a family genetic thing where i have bad dream recall, no idea what its called though. I can train it but its pretty hard for me. I am a martial artist, i am not sure if that counts or not but i am good at what i do, I am artistic but i have a horrible problem with drawing because of dyslexia making the fine motor control of my hands pretty bad, i think its a shame really. Also just in case you did not know, meditation is a left brained act so if your training the right side of the brain with it then its kinda counterintuitive, i would not give it up though I know exactly what you mean by the social killing side-effects of aspergers, I have it myself. It's enhanced so many aspects of my mind and connection to my subconscious, which in turn has enhanced my artistic side, and I find myself extremely emotional on a good (or bad) day of it. Pretty much why social interaction has sucked is because I'm introverted without any form of extroversion. I can think up the most wonderful things to say or do, but I cannot say or do them. If I try, they will be shaky and cluttered and lacking in many ways. Drawing, however, I'm getting better at. When I just relax myself and draw the "shapes" of my emotions and surroundings I feel as though a needle is just draining all the stress out of me. I also have synethstesia, and with being emotional I find everything in the world to be vivid in a non-literal way. That is, say, a hammer is not just a hammer to me-- it's a gigantic scene of wooden cubes and little children passing balls back and forth in a misty field of wheat. Everything is like that to me, and I can't even come close to representing the figments of my subconscious on paper or on the computer. So, photographic memory for me would be like physically seeing all of the beautiful creations of my autistic/synethstetic mind... and that would be just amazing for me. Getting a little off track here, but I'm also bipolar which has only added to the vastness of my emotions, nevertheless I've trained myself out of so many habits and it is possible to diminish a great deal of these syndromes. They're great to have when you want them, but when you don't, and they're still there, it can be brutal.