Slog - Comments on The Woman Who Remembers Absolutely Everything

Comment by manucabe

manucabe — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 10:40:30 -0800

That's totally fascinating. But isn't that just like autism?

Comment by alithea

alithea — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 10:48:30 -0800

it is just like autism, but like the article says, people with autism or other memory phenomenons cant function in other parts of their life. AJ is a perfectly normal woman, except she remembers everything.

Comment by David Schmader

David Schmader — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 10:49:12 -0800

I have been lightly obsessed with this lady since I read about her (she just missed the cut for this week's Last Days), but I can't figure out if she's totally lucky or totally damned.

For artists/writers, memory is gold, and it's easy to think more would clearly be better.

But the ability to forget is one of God's great painkillers, and God only knows what it feels like to live with a brain so burdened with memories--wonderful, agonizing, trivial, and otherwise...

Comment by manucabe

manucabe — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 11:09:43 -0800

Good point. If I had the ability to remember through booze, I would probably kill myself instantly.

Comment by lilblackcat

lilblackcat — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 11:58:20 -0800

This would be any husband's worst nightmare!

I have to agree with Schamder, it is a great gift to be able to forget. She must be very haunted.

Comment by fnarf

fnarf — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 12:43:11 -0800

Lilblackcat - I'm a husband and I had the exact same thought! "No, dear, it was July 17, 1998, and we had a flat tire on Rimrock Road, and you said then that you had checked it, but you didn't, I remember perfectly, and now you're doing it again."

This gal would be a smash hit at parties. She should take up a hobby that demands millions of tiny little facts, like trainspotting or record collecting.

Comment by postergirl

postergirl — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 13:10:08 -0800

Shit. What was I going to write...

Comment by 80s comedian

80s comedian — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 13:12:41 -0800

I'm calling, and I want my schtick back.

Comment by Courtney

Courtney — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 13:33:57 -0800

I'm curious though on the Autism front. My brother is like a freaking almanac for the family--if I want to remember what happened on a specific date/year/whatever, I just call him and he's got it. He has Asperger's, a high-functioning form of autism. He seems a bit odd, but honestly most people would never know he's autistic. He's married with two kids and has a job as a programmer. His ability to remember all kinds of things is truly astounding, and he's not impaired in other areas in his life in the way most autistic people are. I'd bet they've hit on the most high-functioning Asperger's woman on the planet.

Comment by keshmeshi

keshmeshi — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 17:12:08 -0800

According to a psychological study, people who have trouble forgetting bad memories are more likely to suffer from depression. The study also showed that it becomes a vicious cycle where, the longer someone is depressed, the more difficult it becomes to forget painful or humiliating memories.

I say she's cursed.

Comment by Memory Doctor

Memory Doctor — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 17:38:31 -0800

Color me unimpressed. So is McGaugh, "one of the world's leading experts on how the human memory system works", up for tenure review and needing to elevate his name recognition or something? Because this woman's abilities are not unheard of in others, and I just don't see what the big deal is.

The "Woman With Perfect Memory Baffles Scientists" title is certainly a nice touch as far as empty hyperbole goes, though. Considering that normal human memory could still accurately be said to "baffle scientists", is it really any surprise?