‘hyperthymestic syndrome’

Researchers have been amazed with the memory of a women named Jill Price. This incredible story has captured the attention of many, as she blows people away with her ability to accurately recall specific and random dates, the weather of days which have long past, and every conversation she has with people who she meets. It is undeniable that this women’s memory is astonishing. But just how rare is her memory? The average human mind is able to recall significant or major events from our lifetime, and remember dates for a few special days such as birthdays and anniversaries. But for the most part, our memories are unreliable. We can easily be fooled into believing false memories, forget the accuracy of real memories and even give false witness statements in court due to inaccurate recall of events.

Jill was given a new tittle to label her abilities, called ‘hyperthymestic syndrome’, which is academic Greek for "exceptional memory". But how does she do it? Apart from having a naturally talented brain, Jill keeps a diary of everyday in her life. This could be a useful tool in helping her remember each detail of her day, but it does not explain how she is able to recall any airline crash or famous accident when given a specific date to declare which state it happened in, and what the number of the flight was. Some psychologists believe it may be possible that her impeccable memory was caused following a traumatic event in her childhood. When she was a child, her family moved states. She can divide her life into memories from before and after the move, and is still haunted by separation anxiety as an adult.

For more information on Jill and her memory skills, find below a link to watch her: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoxsMMV538U