Memory

[Re_Animate]

Recently, ive been observing the difference memory makes in someones personality and how it shapes their behaviour.

Basically, my friend hears something and he will probably never forget it.
I hear something and its in one ear and out the other.

He is an incredibly intelligent person who is very well spoken (huge vocabulary). he is funny, charming, makes jokes, very socially analytical and learns/adapts very quickly. AND gets laid like a rock star (based on this whole social behavior pattern that he observed and expanded upon -> it seems to work)

all of this seems due to the fact that he is able to analyze and recall information amazingly well (jokes, large words, behavior patterns)

When i try to remember something i fail miserably. I often find myself rather thick and generally unaware of my surroundings. i have to read something a few times before it even makes sense to me. Socially im pretty terrible, when i attempt wit often times i just sound like a tool.

My question is, it seems to me that memory plays a huge part in how your world is perceived, is this something you are born with, or can general memory/recall be taught based.

 

[addictivepersona]

I am in the same boat as you, pretty much, but I've noticed since I've laid off the drugs that my memory has improved ten fold. Also, if I am interested in something, I am more likely to remember it easily. For example, food. Yeah, kind of a lame subject at a party, but one on one, I impressed one of my friends with some of the shit I remembered from a class. Lol, made me happy.

Basically, just find something you're interested in to talk about. Then remembering it will come easy.

To directly answer your last question, I think we are born with a certain capacity for learning, but we can expand upon it if we work at it. I mean, you can't exactly get a photographic (or "phonographic" as your friend has) memory, but you can exercise your brain a little and retain more information.

 

[Vaya]

Basically, my friend hears something and he will probably never forget it.

[...]

He is an incredibly intelligent person who is very well spoken (huge vocabulary). he is funny, charming, makes jokes, very socially analytical and learns/adapts very quickly.

I hope this doesn't sound narcissistic, but this is exactly how my friends describe me. I'm constantly referring to things that happened in the past, and I've noticed that most people need to be reminded of what I'm talking about before they can reciprocate. It makes conversation awkward, to be honest, and even though I'm "outgoing" and "charming," recently I've developed this phobia of making jokes or references to things that happened more than 3 days before, because I'm always met with a blank stare and feel like I've committed a social faux pas.

So, I don't think it's that uncommon for people to accept something in the right ear and have it rocket out the left. But memory does shape one's perception of the world. Because of my good memory, things I see/hear right now are connected, involuntarily, to things/people/places in the past. In my world, there are connections everywhere. Sometimes it's overwhelming, but in general, I like it.

Addressing your last question, regarding whether or not memory can be taught, I'm not sure "taught" was the word you were looking for. "Conditioned" might fit the question more aptly. Many, many studies have been done on this. You can read more here and here.

Many studies also support taking vitamin B12, folic acid and ginkgo biloba extract to improve the ability of the hippocampus to accept, process and store events. You might look into taking some of these supplements; it isn't all conjecture. I myself take all three.

Hope I could provide some insight!

Much love,

~ vaya