photographic memory

psychology

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June 17, 2026

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The term "photographic memory" refers to an unusual ability to remember things exactly as they were seen or read. In psychology, this is technically described as eidetic imagery, which is a vivid subjective visual phenomenon. Individuals with eidetic imagery report continuing to "see" an object even after it's no longer present, describing the image as if it were still there. While the term "eidetic" derives from the Greek word for "form," this ability is rare, occurring in only 2-10 percent of children and almost never in adults.123

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memory disorder
Hypermnesia
…memory, almost certainly eidetic (“photographic”) in nature. “S” also reported an unusual degree of synesthesia, though whether this helped or hindered his feats of memory is not clear. (People show signs of synesthesia when they report that stimulation through one sense leads to experiences in another sense; for example,…
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…memory, almost certainly eidetic (“photographic”) in nature. “S” also reported an unusual degree of synesthesia, though whether this helped or hindered his feats of memory is not clear. (People show signs of synesthesia when they report that stimulation through one sense leads to experiences in another sense; for example,…
Read More