A remarkable ability to recall events from any given day of their lives is possessed by some individuals. This unique talent, known as hyperthymesia or over-remembering, typically manifests in later childhood and has been identified in nearly a hundred people worldwide.
In 2006, an American individual was diagnosed with this extraordinary ability, which led to the coining of the term HSAM or highly superior autobiographical memory. Since then, research has shown that individuals with HSAM have the remarkable ability to remember dates with complete reliability and recall verifiable details with 98 percent accuracy. Their memory of events is quick and automatic, and they tend to mainly remember events from their own lives, although they are also adept at connecting names and faces.
Despite their exceptional memory abilities, individuals with HSAM do not stand out in terms of intelligence compared to the general population. Brain imaging studies have shown that their memory network dealing with biographical events is highly overactivated, according to neuroscientist Jessica Talbotin from La Sapienza University. Additionally, these individuals do not seem to experience the decline in information processing that is typically associated with normal aging.
