The Imperfection of a Perfect Memory
By Jacob Anderson
You have likely heard of a photographic memory; people who claim to have one can recall visuals from their memory with great detail and accuracy. It almost sounds like a superpower. You could study with ease, remember a phone number after just a glance, and you would not have to have a file on your phone with your social security number on it (okay this one is me). While many people will claim to have a photographic memory, it has never been proven to exist. Interestingly, there is another form of “super memory” which has been identified and proven: highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM). Autobiographical memories are the memories we have about personal events. Remembering profound personal events with amazing accuracy may sound like a blessing, but those who have HSAM may disagree.
HSAM has been a recognized condition since 2000 when a woman named Jill Price contacted Doctor James McGaugh (MacMillan, 2017). Doctor McGaugh is a neurobiologist and author who works in the fields of learning and memory. Price complained to Doctor McGaugh about her perfect memory; she claimed that her memory was so perfect that it was a severe burden. When Price would see a date written, or see a time depicted on television, she felt a compulsive need to recollect what she was doing that day and to see what other noteworthy events she could recall from that date. She claimed that it was involuntary and exhausting. HSAM started getting media attention around 2010, and after an appearance on 60 Minutes Doctor McGaugh began getting flooded by responses from people who claimed to have the condition. Despite this, there were fewer than one hundred diagnosed with HSAM as of 2017. Millions of people have heard of HSAM at this point, so the scarcity of diagnoses shows how rare the condition really is.
Joey DeGrandis is one of the few people with a diagnosis of HSAM. His parents noticed his abilities when he was young; DeGrandis would hear a date and immediately know details about the day. His parents were amazed and fascinated. He used the ability to win a magic show at school, used it as a party trick, and as an interesting fact when meeting people. It was not until later in life that he realized that there were downsides to his remarkable ability.
DeGrandis was a valuable participant in ongoing research by McGaugh. The research also gave DeGrandis the opportunity to meet others with his condition. DeGrandis admits to dealing with anxiety and depression, and after speaking to others with HSAM, he realized that it was common among them. DeGrandis theorizes that this is due to his inability to let go of emotionally momentous events. He says that when he undergoes a painful experience in life, he never forgets those feelings. Interestingly, some research has shown that those with HSAM are just as likely to have a false memory as those without HSAM (Patihis et al. 2013). Having to relive the worst emotional turmoil of your life in vivid detail sounds unsettling. Research has shown that those with HSAM also exhibit obsessive traits more often than the general population (LePort et al. 2012).
A perfect memory sounds like a dream, but for those with HSAM it can also be a nightmare. Having a near-perfect recollection of autobiographical memories is an incredible ability, but if the bad can outweigh the good, then it does not sound worth it. I already dwell on memories I would rather forget at times, and it is not a good feeling. Being forced to recall these memories with increased vividness and regularity does not sound appealing.
References
LePort, A. K. R., Mattfeld, A. T., Dickinson-Anson, H., Fallon, J. H., Stark, C. E. L., Kruggel, F., Cahill, L., & McGaugh, J. L. (2012, May 28). Behavioral and neuroanatomical investigation of highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM). Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1074742712000706?via%3Dihub.
Macmillan, A. (2017, December 8). The Downside of Having an Almost Perfect Memory. Time. https://time.com/5045521/highly-superior-autobiographical-memory-hsam/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CMemory%20is%20a%20distracting%20process
Patihis L, Frenda SJ, LePort AK, Petersen N, Nichols RM, Stark CE, McGaugh JL, Loftus EF, (2018, November). False memories in highly superior autobiographical memory individuals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24248358/