Mind over matter

Lately I've been spending a fair bit of time thinking (rather paradoxically) about my brain. Or, more to the point, about my memory.

I've known for a long time that my memory is strange - I don't take any notes in school (at all), and I still get better marks than quite a few people who do. I remember things of no importance whatsoever, such as that in grade two, I spent the bulk of the year sitting with Laura on my right and Matthew two seats to my left (last names withheld for privacy reasons and possible embarrassment, and I'm kind of surprised I can't remember the other people at my table). As a kid, I could name pretty much every player on every team in any major sport (something I've since lost interest in). I can remember phone numbers that I haven't used in over a decade.

But all of that pales in comparison to this guy. Given any date, he can remember something about that day - or, given an event, he can tell you the exact date on which it happened.

And he's not alone - the article goes on to talk about one more confirmed person with this condition, and a few potential cases. I remember reading a story a few years ago about a guy who could instantly tell you what date Easter fell on in any year you gave him (not easy to memorize, as there's an extremely complex system in place).

The one message that seems to be consistent is that we all can (and do) have this stuff in our memory. It's recall that's the problem - bringing that information back into our conscious, from wherever we've shoved it.

Think of it this way - you're shown a box with twenty common objects inside. Then the box is taken away, and you're asked to list as many of the twenty objects as you can remember.

My guess would be that most people will get at least ten, quite a few would close in on fifteen, and one or two might be able to get eighteen or more.

When the list is read allowed, and somebody hears an object they did not have on their list, their reaction is almost definitely going to be "oh yeah, how did I forget that?" and not "I don't remember seeing that". That's what I'm talking about - we have no trouble putting stuff into our memory, it's taking it back out that's the problem.

I guess my overarching point, if I have one, is this: the human brain is an amazing thing, and we've barely scratched the surface of what we can do with it.

--Ryan