This question was originally posted in Quora. Answer 1 by Marc Ettlinger, Research Neuroscientist, Department of Veterans Affairs There are three things that factor into an answer to your question: nature, nurture and the things being remembered. First, some people have better memories than others by virtue of nurture: There are techniques people can use to train their memories to be better. For example, if you want to learn to remember long lists of digits or sequences of cards, there are ways of remembering them better by visualizing them as being on walking path as detailed in this excellent book: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything: Joshua Foer. You can also learn to remember faces and names better - practice is an important part, or repeating the name a few times when you learn it. In fact, there is a whole genre of research and an accompanying industry dedicated to brain training that generally focuses on memory. While it is questionable whether it helps your brain in general, these memory games definitely help you get better at memory games. Second, some people have better memories by virtue of nature. We're still learning a lot about how this works, but genetics clearly plays a role in brain function, which in turn relates to memory function. For example, the gene APOE4 has been associated with Alzheimer's but also seems to relate to memory function in general. This gene seems to regulate receptors in the hippocampus, which is a brain area that is strongly implicated in memory formation. So, some people are just born with better memories. Third, some people remember things differently because of the event's emotional impact. For example, you will remember your meeting of Barack Obama far better than he will remember meeting you.This factor plays out in virtually every experience we have, wherein the emotional impact and importance of an event relates to how concretely it is encoded in your mind. The mechanisms are being explored, but it seems to have something to do with the interaction of your thalamus (sensory center), amygdyla (related to fear/emotion) and hippocampus (episodic memory). This is a simplification of a very complex system, and importantly all three of these factors will likely interact in even more complex ways, but this gives you a basic sketch of what may be going on. Answer 2 by Say Keng Lee, Knowledge Adventurer & Technology Explorer in Strategy, Change & Future-Focus Why do some people have better memory than others? I recently saw a kid I went to kindergarten with over 30 years ago. I remembered so much about him: things he said and did in kindergarten. What's going on physiologically/cognitively that I remember so much so clearly? First and foremost, I need to correct your misconception. There is no such thing as a bad or even better memory. There are only trained and untrained memories. In the first instance, trained memories start with: believing in yourself, i.e. in your ability to remember; paying attention to what’s around you, and in being curious, with a sense of wonder, and an approach to the the world with a sense of discovery; The latter is attested in your childhood experience, as you have described. The more you remember, and the more you can remember. More importantly, anything you wish to remember must in some way or other be associated with what’s already remembered and stored in your head, i.e. your prior knowledge. As ancient Greek philosopher Plato put it, “All knowledge is but remembrance.” There is one cardinal rule to memory power: Use it - and more of it - or lose it! For example, ditch your digital devices and do mental arithmetic. Trust your instincts instead of relying on GPS. Meet a friend instead of texting. Do a lot of self-quizzing if you are a student. By the way, trained memories entail the acquisition of mnemonics. Source
