Imagine remembering a long list of words by taking a mental walk through your home. Memory athletes use strategies like this to perform remarkable feats. But does that mean anyone can develop a memory that never forgets?
Research supports a more useful answer: people can improve performance on particular memory tasks through training. That does not make memory unlimited, perfectly accurate, or equally strong in every situation.
The distinction matters. Learning a strategy for remembering a shopping list is different from recalling decades of personal experiences—and both differ from understanding a difficult subject.
What does exceptional memory actually mean?
“Superhuman memory” is an attention-grabbing phrase, rather than a precise scientific diagnosis.
Memory athletes often practise mnemonic techniques to remember material such as numbers, cards, and words. Their performances illustrate what trained strategies can achieve.
Highly superior autobiographical memory, or HSAM, describes an unusual ability to recall personal experiences and the dates associated with them. It should not be confused with a technique that anyone can acquire by practising a memory palace. [1]
Even exceptional recall does not mean immunity to mistakes. A study of people with HSAM found that they were susceptible to false memories in experimental tests. Those results do not establish that all their autobiographical memories are unreliable; they show that exceptional memory is not the same as infallible memory. [2]
How a memory palace helps
The memory palace, also called the method of loci, connects information with locations along a familiar route.
Instead of trying to remember an isolated list, you create memorable images at places you already know. Later, mentally revisiting those locations provides cues for recalling the items.
In a 2017 study, six weeks of mnemonic training improved performance on a word-recall task and changed patterns of functional brain connectivity. Researchers assessed memory benefits up to four months after training. The findings support trained recall, rather than a general claim that the technique increases intelligence or makes every kind of memory exceptional. [3]
Try a five-item example
Suppose you need to remember milk, tomatoes, rice, soap, and batteries. Choose five locations along a familiar route:
- At your front door, imagine a giant milk carton blocking the entrance.
- On the sofa, picture bright red tomatoes bouncing on the cushions.
- At the dining table, imagine a mountain of rice spilling over the edge.
- At the sink, picture an enormous soap bubble floating upward.
- Beside your bed, imagine a battery powering a glowing lamp.
Now mentally walk through those locations in the same order and recall the items without checking the list.
This is an illustration of the method, not a guarantee of a particular result. Begin with a short list and practise creating distinct associations.
Active recall makes studying more useful
Recognizing a sentence when you reread it is different from being able to explain it with the book closed.
Active recall means attempting to retrieve information before looking at the answer. You might answer a flashcard, write down the main points of a lesson, or explain an idea from memory and then check your explanation.
In a controlled vocabulary-learning experiment, repeated retrieval improved delayed retention. Additional studying after a word had already been learned did not provide the same benefit in that experiment. [4]
Combine retrieval with practice sessions spread over time. For example, recall a lesson later that day, revisit it the following day, and test yourself again several days later. Adjust the intervals according to what you forget and when you need the material; this is an example schedule, not a universal formula.
Always check your answers. Repeating an inaccurate explanation does not turn it into correct knowledge.
Chunking works best when the groups mean something
Chunking organizes separate pieces of information into meaningful groups. A long number can become easier to handle when divided into familiar sections.
For studying, try grouping facts by a shared concept or relationship. The aim is to reduce the number of disconnected pieces you need to manage, while preserving the information within each group.
Memorizing the names of three scientific processes, however, does not establish that you understand how they work. Use recall practice alongside explanation and application.
Sleep and healthy habits support learning
Sleep supports learning and memory. NIH guidance explains that sleep helps the brain prepare to learn and remember information, while insufficient sleep can interfere with these abilities. [5]
Physical activity and a balanced diet also support overall health, including brain health. However, benefits vary across populations and outcomes. Advice about healthy habits should not become a promise that particular foods, vitamins, or supplements produce exceptional recall. The National Institute on Aging notes that evidence for specific dietary approaches and broader cognitive benefits remains incomplete. [6]
Likewise, learning an instrument or a language can be worthwhile without assuming that improvement automatically transfers to every other memory task.
Can technology improve memory?
Researchers have tested hippocampal neural prostheses using implanted electrodes and controlled memory tasks in clinical participants. These experiments explore ways to support memory encoding and recall. [7]
That research is different from a consumer headset promising better everyday memory. Implanted prostheses, noninvasive brain-computer interfaces, and neurofeedback are distinct approaches. Evidence for one should not be treated as proof that the others offer the same benefits.
For readers looking to improve learning, the article’s practical recommendations are mnemonic strategies and retrieval practice. The clinical technology discussed here is a research example, not a recommended consumer intervention.
What is a realistic goal?
A useful goal is remembering important information more reliably, rather than trying to eliminate forgetting altogether.
Choose one task. Use a memory palace for an ordered list, retrieve answers when studying, and check what you missed. Revisit the material over time and protect the sleep that supports learning.
Exceptional performances are fascinating. The practical lesson is that a better strategy can improve recall—even when memory remains human.
Sources
- LePort and colleagues, 2012, Behavioral and neuroanatomical investigation of Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1074742712000706
- Patihis and colleagues, 2013, False memories in highly superior autobiographical memory individuals: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24248358/
- Dresler and colleagues, 2017, Mnemonic Training Reshapes Brain Networks to Support Superior Memory: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28279356/
- Karpicke and Roediger, 2008, The critical importance of retrieval for learning: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18276894/
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, How Sleep Affects Your Health: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation/health-effects
- National Institute on Aging, Cognitive Health and Older Adults: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/brain-health/cognitive-health-and-older-adults
- Hampson and colleagues, 2018, Developing a hippocampal neural prosthetic to facilitate human memory encoding and recall: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29589592/