Is It Possible To Develop Photographic Memory?

Photographic memory is considere to be an inborn ability to memorise something in entirety and in detail. So, even though you can’t really develop photographic memory, you can still use different memory methods that will enhance your memory.

How to Develop Photographic Memory – or should we say ‘photographic’

1. Visualize.

Connect a visual image to a thing you need to remember. Colorful images that carry positive feelings will be easier to remember.

2. Review at least two hours after learning new things.

It can be something as simple as reviewing what happened to you that day. Just go over it in your head. This frequent recall of information will help you build up your long-term memory.

3. Rhymes.

Sounds funny, but rhymes are always easier to remember than just regular sentences. If you create repeating sounds from what you’ve seen, you can easily recall it later.

4. Tell people about things.

Share things with your friends or with your partner. Share everything you would like to remember. Studies have shown that sharing knowledge with other people is the easiest way for that knowledge to go to the long-term memory.

5. Chunking.

Break down the information you received into short and small chunks to remember each of them in different ways. This can help with remembering phone numbers.

6. Loci Method.

The method of loci is also known as the memory palace or mind palace technique. This method is great for remembering all kind of lists. Imagine placing the items you want to remember in specific locations of your mind palace or along routes which are familiar to you. There are lots of different studies that showed how Loci method really helps with memorizing things.

If you want to learn more about remembering things and is it possible to develop photographic memory, I suggest you to read Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything. Joshua Foer’s book is an astonishing journey through the mind, and secrets of how our memory really works.

He also has a great Ted Talk about that topic:

So, even though it’s impossible to develop photographic memory, you can use these memory methods and recall things much faster than before.