Many were collectors–of magazines, shoes, videos, stamps, postcards–the type of collectors who keep intricately detailed catalogs of their prized possessions. In line with that discovery, the researchers determined that the study’s subjects were more likely than usual to have OCD tendencies. Also, the region of the brain often associated with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), was larger than normal. They had stronger “white matter” connections between their mid and forebrains, when compared with the control subjects. They found, not surprisingly, that their brains are different. How does science explain it? Well, the research is still a bit limited, but recently scientists at the University of California at Irvine, published a report on 11 people with superior autobiographical memory. Nope, only in the recollection of the days of their lives are they exceptional. In fact, they generally perform no better on standard memory tests than the rest of us. These are not savants who can rattle off long strings of numbers, Rainman-style, or effortlessly retrieve tidbits from a deep vault of historical facts. What makes this condition, known as hyperthymesia, so fascinating is that it’s so selective. The most famous is probably actress Marilu Henner, who showed off her stunning recall of autobiographical minutiae on “60 Minutes” a few years ago. Others, no doubt, have this remarkable ability, but so far only those 33 have been confirmed by scientific research. Pick any date and they can pull from their memory the most prosaic details of that thin slice of their personal history. Or who they talked to on October 28, 1986. Image courtesy of Flickr user alles-schlumpfĪt last count, at least 33 people in the world could tell you what they ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner, on February 20, 1998. She said understanding your past is the best way to prepare for the future.Memory is a collaborative effort within the brain. There's some significance to what I'm doing and how I'm living my life." "It's that defense against meaninglessness," she said. Henner said her gift is not just a parlor trick. "Just this idea that everything that I've ever done is documented somewhere in her mind," he said. Her son Nick Lieberman, 17, said he finds his mother's memory "comforting." Ironically, the actress' husband makes a living publishing the one thing in the world she doesn't need: calendars. In her new book, "Total Memory Makeover," in stores on April 24, Henner tries to help others unlock their memories. "But definitely being an actress, I learned how to embrace my memories and celebrate them and explore them without hesitation whatsoever." "I can always remember where I first read a script or what I studied or what I liked about, things like that," Henner said. But, perhaps more importantly, she can call to mind moments of great emotion from her own life - to help her embody her characters. Sure, she has an easy time remembering her lines. She said it is a gift that helped her as an actress, but not in the way you might think. "When somebody gives me a date or a year or something, I see all these little movie montages, basically on a time continuum, and I'm scrolling through them and flashing through them," she said. Henner said her memory works like a scene selection menu on a DVD, with "little videos moving simultaneously." "Whenever I go back into memory, I'm always in my body looking out." "I just remember the water, and I remember the white," she said. She said her earliest memory is of being baptized. But Henner, 60, can remember specific details from almost every day of her life. Most of us can remember major events of our lives - our wedding day, for instance, or where we were on 9/11 or when President John F. Story" (1991) and "Man on the Moon" (1999), is one of only 12 people in the world diagnosed with hyperthymesia, also known as Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory. The actress, who has also starred in "L.A. That was a Wednesday and our first show was shot the 14 th, a Friday." The very first rehearsal was July the 5 th of 1978. It was a Sunday and I found out at the 'Grease' premiere party," Henner said. She can recall, off the top of her head, the exact day she got the part. And you probably remember her as Elaine Nardo from the hit TV show "Taxi." What were you doing that day? Who were you with? What day of the week was it? What did you have for lunch?Īctress Marilu Henner says she can remember it all. What if you could remember every single day of your life and have it available for instant recall?Įverything from childhood birthday parties, Christmases, your first day of school, and your last.
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