Techotic

For many people having an ability to remember every single day of their life might seem like a gift, but for 42 year old widow Jill Price it is a curse because she cannot switch off her remarkable memory.

Mrs Price can instantly recall everything about every day since 1980 - what time she got up, who she met, what she did, what she ate. In effect, she is a human diary.

For years she remained anonymous, referred to only by initials in scientific journals while experts tested her ability.

She is so unusual that the scientists at the University of California-Irvine coined a term for her condition - hyperthymestic syndrome from the Greek thymesis, for remembering, and hyper, meaning well above normal.

Mrs Price said her memory started working overtime after her family moved to Los Angeles when she was eight.

And from the time she was 14, in 1980, she can remember absolutely everything.

Neuroscientists say a trauma such as moving the family home can trigger major, lingering changes in the brain, especially in children who cling to memories of how their life had been. Mrs Price said: ‘Some memories are good and give me a warm, safe feeling.

“But I also recall every bad decision, insult and excruciating embarrassment. Over the years it has eaten me up. It has kind of paralyzed me.”

[via dailymail]