Difference between photographic memory and eidetic memory. How to develop photographic memory - effective techniques and simple exercises. Practical techniques for developing photographic memory

Probably every person has had to deal with situations in his life when he forgot something very important. Some people are bad to other people. They remember their faces, but cannot remember under what circumstances they happened. Others endlessly lose their watches, wallets, mobile phones, simply forgetting where they put them. Is there a solution to the problem of forgetfulness? It turns out yes!
Scientists eat their bread for a reason. They, specifically to solve this problem and to train memory, developed entire systems designed to solve this problem once and for all.

Before answering the question: "How to develop photographic memory", you need to decide what is hidden behind these words. Scientists argue that the concept of photographic memory should be understood as a person’s ability, with the help of visual images, to remember the information necessary for him, without even trying to comprehend it. At the same time, the memorization process, based on a set of mnemonic techniques, takes only a few seconds. The information that a person sees seems to be projected onto some kind of internal screen, from which he can read it at any moment.

Using photographic memory allows a person to discover new horizons. In just a few seconds, he will be able to remember information such as texts, faces, locations of things. Unfortunately, in order to develop this ability, it takes a long time and hard work.

The time that you need to develop photographic memory is individual for each person and depends only on his personal characteristics. For example, if a person has a well-developed visual memory, then we can say that a wasp will be able to develop a photographic memory much faster than someone who has a better developed visual memory. In order for your activities to begin to bear any fruit, you must devote at least fifteen minutes a day to your activities for a month.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with exercises that can help you with the question of how to develop photographic memory.

Exercise 1. Continuous observation.

The first exercise involves continuously observing an object for five minutes. You must consider it carefully and comprehensively. In this case, it does not matter at all what kind of object it will be. You are not prohibited from blinking, but you must not take your gaze away from the subject.

Inspect the item, carefully focusing on every detail. You must continue to perform until you learn to easily concentrate your attention and keep it on the required object.

Exercise 2. Rhythmic observation.

Focus your gaze on an object. Your breathing should remain even. While exhaling, close your eyes and try to remove the image of the contemplated object from your imagination. As you inhale, again concentrate on the object of observation. In order for the exercise to be effective, at least 50 repetitions must be performed. After this, it must be performed again, but now you should observe while exhaling, and wash it while inhaling.

Exercise 3. Mental vision.

Observe an object for several minutes, trying to remember every detail. After this, close your eyes and try to reproduce what you saw in every detail on your inner screen. When you succeed, open your eyes and compare what you imagined with what is in your field of vision. Do about ten repetitions. During the first repetitions, the object will not appear very clearly to you, but each time the picture in your mind will become more and more realistic. Having learned to memorize objects in this way, move on to working with texts and large pictures.

Exercise 4. Videoscope.

Look carefully at one object for a minute. After that, look at the other one for another minute. Close and try to combine both objects you see in your imagination. In this case, you can get a double or even triple overlay effect.

Every day a person is faced with many images, information, emotions and impressions. Many people dream of remembering this without stress. Memory is a treasure trove and wealth, and its importance in our lives cannot be overestimated.

Many people believe that the ability to remember without extra effort is an innate gift, a gene that we have as a given. However, this is not quite true.

Description of the phenomenon

In psychology, there is a concept called photographic memory (or eidetic memory) - which means a person’s ability to remember information through visual images without comprehending it.

Information remains in the mind as a “picture”; when associations arise or a conscious desire to remember, it comes to life.

What is the difference between normal and photographic memory?

Ordinary memory operates on the principle of “filling” free resources, so we remember the events of our lives worse every year, because over time, consciousness is filled with new impressions and old ones are displaced. Also, the specificity of ordinary memory is that it records significant events, or emotionally charged ones.
Eidetic memory – fixes an image and, accordingly, it does not mix with new events. The image does not depend on mood or associations - when you try to remember something, you see the entire image in front of you and can reproduce even little things in your memory.

Study of the phenomenon

The first in psychology to talk about the concept of “eidetism” was the Serbian scientist V. Urbancic, and in the 20s of the last century, E. Jensch conducted the first experimental studies. He developed a classification according to the severity of the phenomenon. Then, eidetics was studied by Russian and foreign psychologists - M. P. Kononova, m, S. L. Rubinstein, V. A. Artyomov, A. R. Luria. In particular, A.R. Luria and scientists working together with him proved that images from memory can be stronger than real images of perception, and sometimes even influence human physiology and change his condition.

Exercises

In psychology, it is believed that photographic memory is characteristic of children under 16 years of age. Then this ability is lost, but it can be improved and preserved for many years, but it will take work.

How to develop photographic memory? Experts advise devoting at least 15 minutes a day to this for at least a month. After a month, attention training may be carried out less frequently, but you should not give up completely.

The principle of the effectiveness of exercises for the development of eidetic memory is systematicity. One missed day can cost you a lot of training.

Continuous observation exercise. This method involves continuously concentrating on an object for 5 minutes. You can blink, but you can't look away. Consider the details in great detail, try to keep your attention on the desired object. This exercise is available online.
Exercise “rhythmic observation”. Look closely at the object or text for a few seconds while maintaining even breathing. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and remove the image of the object from your consciousness. Then take a breath and again carefully study the subject. Repeat this exercise 50 times. There are similar online exercises online.
Mental vision exercise. Look carefully at the object (text) for several minutes, trying to remember every small detail. Close your eyes and try to reproduce the picture in front of you in great detail. At first the image will be cloudy and parts of the object will be lost, but over time the perception will become clearer and closer to reality. When you learn to memorize objects, try to do the same with pictures and texts, complicating the task each time. This method is also called the Aivazovsky method. This eidotechnics also includes attention training.
Exercise "videoscope". Look intently at an object or text for a minute. Then move your gaze to another object and study it in the same way. Close your eyes and connect these two objects in your imagination. The effectiveness of the exercise increases when repeated 5-7 times with different objects, the so-called video memory is formed.

Exercise "Schulte Table". The essence of this exercise is to quickly and consistently find numbers in a table where they are initially located in a chaotic manner. This method is training attention, observation, visual memory is involved, since not only the location of the desired cell is remembered, but also other cells. This exercise is also interesting - you can play a race and, in addition to focusing your attention, your reaction speed is formed.
Exercise “Playing matches”. Throw a few matches chaotically on the table, then look carefully at them and remember in great detail how they are located. Then turn away and, using other matches and in another place, reproduce their position.
Exercise “moment, stop.” This method can be done at any time - while studying, working or walking. Choose an object, look at it carefully and, closing your eyes, draw it in your imagination.
Exercise “empty consciousness”. Draw a point and place it in front of you. Look at it until thoughts begin to arise. When you feel them approaching, close your eyes and concentrate on the subject, trying to imagine it as fully as possible, without allowing thoughts to arise. The idea of this exercise is that the presence of thoughts (or “noise”, as psychologists call them) leads to a deterioration in the quality of memory and the brightness of the image is erased.

If time allows, it is better to do several exercises from this list step by step in one period of time, but if this is not possible, even a little training will give results over time, so you can do the simplest method number seven every day.

Possibilities of eidetism

Photographic memory provides many opportunities for a person - it is worth remembering the people who had this talent:

Maxim Gorky - had the skill of speed reading and remembered the books he read for many years;
Alexei Tolstoy - before he wrote his books, he “saw” their content and text figuratively;
Lev Vershinin - knew the text of the Soviet Historical Encyclopedia by heart from his student years;
Ronald Reagan could remember a text in its entirety at one glance.

Developed eidetic memory opens up new opportunities for a person - success in studies, professions, and hobbies directly depends on how quickly and efficiently you remember new information.

However, in your quest to develop photographic memory and become more efficient, smarter and better, don't forget that it is important not to harm yourself. Excessive enthusiasm for eidetism can ultimately threaten to “eclipse” reality with internal images.

The human brain is a real perfect “machine”, which cannot be compared with any mechanism on earth! Every day we remember a lot of information that is useful to us. Later, something is erased from memories, unnecessary details are eliminated. And indeed, if such a process did not occur, our brain would simply be filled with a mass of information that we absolutely do not need. But what about the moments that evoke pleasant memories? You've probably noticed that we remember them all our lives. Unfortunately, this also applies to negative shocks.

So, this memorization mechanism is quite explainable - we clearly remember what caused strong emotions. Many people dream of developing photographic memory, not even suspecting that you already have it, you just need to train it. An emotion works as a real stimulant - that is, there was an experience of any kind and what is called simply imprinted in memory. A To How to develop photographic memory consciously? After all, such an ability provides many new opportunities, both in everyday life and in a career.

The human brain is ready to solve any given problem. More training means better results.

Start simple

If you are determined to awaken the hidden abilities of your brain and learn to remember vivid pictures and small details, start small. An excellent exercise for this would be “dynamic” focusing. This is a very simple technique, but it will allow you to learn to remember details. So: you probably take a walk or go to work every day. Close your eyes and remember: how many buildings you pass, what trees grow on this route, how many intersections. Oddly enough, almost 80% of people will never remember such little things! Task one: the next day, take a calm walk around familiar places and try to remember as much of what you saw as possible; you cannot write it down. Come home, close your eyes and remember. It’s better to write down everything you see. The next day, check what matches. Do this exercise every day and after about a couple of weeks you will catch yourself thinking that you can not only remember the details, but also reproduce the picture of the area quite accurately.

Details are important

Very important . How to develop photographic memory if this condition is not met. No way, all your efforts will come to nothing. Useful exercises that will not only help you learn to “photograph” details, but will also help you concentrate on a specific subject:

10 little things is a fairly simple technique that perfectly develops photographic memory. Find 10 of the simplest and most inconspicuous things in the house: paper clips, pens, candy wrappers, whatever. Just keep in mind that they should be inconspicuous and simple. Lay them out on a white piece of paper. The background must be neutral, otherwise you will be distracted. Close your eyes, concentrate, and after 5 seconds, open them and try to look at objects very carefully, without taking your eyes away (about 10 seconds). Remember the details, down to the smallest detail: letters, curves, colors, shapes. Put away the items and start remembering, as a rule, many can remember the exact description of 5 items! But if you do this exercise every day, the result will surprise you very much. Not only will you be able to describe the picture you saw, but you will also be able to remember exactly the location of each item on the paper!
Combination - this exercise will help develop the ability to evoke any previously seen image. So, let's get started: remember any picture you saw before, and now look closely at any object located near you. Now simultaneously imagine a panorama where these two objects exist at the same time. For example, remember the beautiful bouquet that was given to you and the clock hanging on your wall - they are located next to each other on the same table. Contemplate them simultaneously, and now mentally place the flower on the dial. It may not work out at first, you need to practice. So, now you have consciously created a picture, that is, you have “pulled out” what you had previously seen from your brain and worked with the information.

Vivid images, sensations, and smells can evoke the most vivid and accurate memories, forming a clear picture without missing out on details.

Vivid images

How to develop photographic memory? To do this, you need to use the association method. What is its essence? The fact is that our brain stores information thanks to the associations that arise when pronouncing a certain word. For example, you are talking about lemon and you may feel a slight sourness in your mouth! Why does this happen - yes, because this method of memorization is the most effective and simplest for the brain! How to use this ability consciously:

Tactile contact - if you want to accurately remember an object, touch it, try to remember the sensations of touch. This method will allow you to very easily remember the item in all details in the future;
Smell is a very powerful memory stimulant. For example, while walking, pay attention to any flower or flowering tree, close your eyes and inhale its aroma. Look at it closely, trying to remember all the small details;
Bright flashes - this method consists of seeing a picture or object and trying to come up with a bright association. For example, a boring text can be easily remembered if, when reading about statistics, you imagine the extras as moles who sit and count on an abacus. You will never see such a picture in life, and it cannot be compared with anything and is easy to remember! It may seem funny, but it works just fine. This also applies to people who need to be remembered. For example, a business partner who supplies sausages can easily be remembered as a clumsy market trader who sells live pigs!

Dear readers, as you know, there is no limit to perfection! Don't stop there: train your memory and soon, such work will bring excellent results!

Image: martinak15(flickr.com)

How to develop photographic memory? Memory, including photographic memory, is the ability to remember information. How do you develop any ability? Right! She's being trained. Therefore, in order to develop photographic memory, it needs to be trained. But how to do this?

Usually the simplest solutions are the best and most effective. The simplest solution to the development of photographic memory is to take any picture and try to remember it as best as possible in a short period of time (5-10 seconds), in all its details. Then reproduce the remembered image on the mental screen and compare it with the original.

It is quite natural that at first this will not work out very well. Try to remember first 5-6 details and their position in the picture. Then memorize 7-8, then 9-10 and so on until you learn to remember the whole picture.

Of course, it’s easier said than done, but no one said it would be easy. But the result will exceed all expectations. After all, a developed photographic memory is a huge advantage in any field of activity. Whoever you are, wherever you work, photographic memory will be your “secret weapon”, which will give you a significant advantage over people who do not have a developed photographic memory.

Before moving on to photographic memory training, I recommend sitting down at a table and writing down a few reasons why you decided to do this. For example: “Developing photographic memory will give me...” or “I am training photographic memory in order to...” and so on. This is necessary for self-motivation. Without motivation, you will train for a day or two, or three at most, and that will be the end of it. All that will remain is the bitterness of another unfinished business.

Now that your ardor will cool down and you will be lazy to train, read the list of reasons why you decided to develop photographic memory. This will help you not to give up on your goal and continue training.

Memory records

Slyusarchuk A. T. - set a number of records for memorizing large volumes of numbers, sequences of geometric shapes, as well as text and other information. In particular, I memorized 30 million digits of Pi. Slyusarchuk’s method of memorization is based on the use of photographic perception of information.

Kim Peek - read at a speed of 4-5 seconds per page of text. By the end of his life, Kim Pik practically knew by heart more than 12 thousand books he had previously read. He remembered maps of almost every city and highway in the United States. Operated with the days of the week in the calendar for the last 2000 years!

Leonhard Euler remembered the first six powers of all numbers from 2 to 100.

Napoleon remembered many of his soldiers by sight and name. In addition, he remembered the qualities of people. Who is brave, who is cowardly, who is smart, who is stupid.

Brother A.S. had a remarkable memory. Pushkin. Once Pushkin lost the fifth chapter of the poem “Eugene Onegin” and complained about it to his brother. After some time, his brother sent him the text of the lost chapter, accurate to the decimal point (he heard it once and read it once).

A native of India, Shakutani Devi could instantly extract 6th roots from 9-digit numbers.

Academician A.F. Ioffe used the table of logarithms from memory, and the great Russian chess player A.A. Alekhine could play “blindly” from memory with 30-40 partners at the same time.

William Kline remembered the multiplication tables up to one hundred thousand, the squares of all numbers up to one hundred and fifty, and all the prime numbers up to ten thousand. He was repeatedly present when testing computers from English companies. One day, the computer was given the task of extracting the square root of the number 555555555555. While the task was being entered into the computer, Kline produced the result: “745356.” Later the computer gave the answer: 745355.9924.

With all my heart I wish you to develop your photographic memory as quickly as possible. I hope the above memory records will help and inspire you to do this!

Do you have a photographic memory? Find out - it may be useful. A person is said to have a photographic memory if he can remember all the smallest details and reproduce them exactly when necessary.

As a rule, people remember only the main points well, but forget the details. To determine whether a person has a photographic memory or not, have him read a paragraph of text carefully and then test it by asking about every detail. If he is able to remember all the details, he could become the new wonder of the world!

Of course, it’s not easy to remember everything, but special techniques and tips come to the rescue. Some of them may seem funny, but their application provides an opportunity to experience real intellectual pleasure. Let's consider several techniques that will make you feel more confident:

Come up with a picture association for the object you are trying to remember, preferably a funny one. In fact, it is absurd images that help retain information in memory for a long time. In everyday life, our attention is instantly drawn to bright and unexpected, rather than simple and familiar, pictures. Try comparing two images: in one people are smiling, in the other they are not. Which picture catches your eye? Try it yourself and see for yourself!

Visualizing a plan for your own home is easier than remembering a random list of items. Why not place list items in familiar territory? Try to imagine the object from the list in a specific place in your home. This way you should remember everything much faster and for a very long time.

For example: You enter the house through the front door and see a package of strawberries on the floor in the hallway, which symbolizes the need to buy this delicious berry.

You walk up the stairs to your room and see someone's huge buttocks, which means you need to buy some burgers too. Sounds weird and crazy, doesn't it? But this is one of the most effective methods to achieve what you want.

Instead of associating objects to be remembered with locations, we associate them with numbers. The applications of numbers are not limited to just solving mathematical equations; they are used in a variety of situations. This technique is reminiscent of the method of remembering by association with a place, as it uses the same principle, just a little differently.

For example:

Buy a basketball;
Call your best friend;
Prepare lunch for mom;
Finish current tasks.

Are you afraid of the dark? Leave your fears in the past and try a method that can help you instantly write down your list on your subcortex. To do this, you need to place notes nearby for memorization and a lamp with a switch. Look at the sheet with the data you want to remember, and after a moment turn off the light. This must be repeated every day for 20 minutes for a month. As a result, you should get a great result. What are you waiting for?

This is one of the most common ways to develop memory. It consists of the following: you carefully look at a pattern or drawing and try to repeat it with the help of matches in order to improve your memory. You can make several attempts to achieve the perfect result. It may seem difficult at first, but it's definitely worth a try.

Rhymes, rhymes... rhymes

Everyone knows that memorizing rhyming lines is much easier and does not require much effort. You can use ready-made dictionaries, selecting rhymes for your list of words that you want to memorize, or come up with them yourself for greater reliability. This is one of the simplest ways to remember large amounts of information.

Add some music

Everyone likes music, right? You can forget the words of your favorite song, but it is difficult to forget its tune. Are you still humming an old favorite tune? Setting a memorization list to music is another way to memorize it over a long period of time, and it really works. For example, it is difficult to remember the dates and names of participants in important historical events. Try singing them to the tune of a well-known or new song, so the dry set of numbers and names will become more expressive and, perhaps, even pleasant.

Practical experience is the path to improvement

Experience gained in practice stimulates our personal growth. You can't learn everything from books. Some things are difficult to understand with only theoretical knowledge. Let's give an example: you can't learn how to cook a delicious dish just by reading the recipe, you'll have to go to the kitchen. In short, you remember a procedure better if you repeat it yourself rather than just read it.

Get organized

The sooner you learn to keep your belongings and records organized, the better. If your desk is scattered with papers, your notebook is full of notes on various topics, and your computer folders are completely disorganized, you constantly feel anxious, and this reduces brain productivity. Clean your room, organize papers and notes by topic, and you will feel completely different, and remembering things will become much easier.

Handwrite rather than type

Use a laptop, iPad, etc. only if it is really necessary. Writing notes is much more effective than typing them. What is written by hand always remains in the memory longer. There is also the following pattern: when people write notes on paper, they write in their own words. When using electronic devices, it is easier to write down everything verbatim, but such notes are less memorable.

The following tips will help you develop a good memory:

Make time for exercise. helps preserve mental and physical health, reduces the risk of disease. This means it preserves the brain and provides strong memory.

Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper. Have you heard this? If you think about it, this is not nonsense at all. Glucose makes brain cells work faster, even if a person has brain problems. Therefore, memory works better after eating. But don't overeat at lunch; the digestion process also requires energy and takes it away from the brain.

3. Train your memory

Try to solve as many logic problems or crossword puzzles as possible. If a crossword puzzle seems difficult to you, find an easier option first. Take a look at the answers, then remove them and try to restore them. This improves memory performance.

4. Use cunning

If you forgot something, try mentally going back in time. Imagine what you were doing at that moment and the answer will come unexpectedly, like an insight.

5. Take breaks

Often, trying to learn more and more new data, we forget what we remembered before. What to do? Take a short break before moving on to a new block of information. Otherwise, a conflict arises. New knowledge is superimposed on old ones, and they disappear from memory. You need to adhere to a clear routine.

6. Eat healthy

weakens the body and interferes with the normal absorption of essential substances. Try to avoid fatty foods and change your habits by switching to healthy foods that are easy to digest. This will only bring benefits.

7. Stress level

Nowadays stress is the main enemy. It makes a person feel sluggish and is bad for the brain. Over time, it destroys brain cells and catastrophically impairs memory. Try to reduce your stress levels by doing something nice for yourself.

8. Clench your fists

Sounds crazy? But it works. During the study, some participants were asked to clench their right hand into a fist while learning new information and their left hand when it was necessary to reproduce it. They had better results than those who didn't. What are you waiting for? Reade set Go!

9. Blood iron levels

Iron deficiency has adverse effects on the brain. As a result, a person becomes distracted, attention deficit and memory problems occur. Iron supplements will help maintain the required level of iron in the blood.

10. Get enough sleep

It is known that the brain improves if you get enough sleep every day. Therefore, sleep improves memory. At night, while we sleep, our brain works, processing memories of the past day. Thanks to this person, dreams occur.

Debunking some common misconceptions about photographic memory: