Does human memory ever "fill up"?

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I remember reading the brain prunes memories and files that no longer are useful.. and considereing most of us only use 10 percent or less it would take a lotta lifetimes to fill up our memory banks.

The "10% or less"-hypothesis is greatly misunderstood. While we may very well be using around 10% of our brains at any one time, we've actually been using 100% of the brain during the course of one day.

If I recall, the myth of "we only use 10% of our brains" is much more accurately stated as "we are only AWARE OF the use of 10% of our brains." Most processing happens without us being conscious of it.

I think my memory is unusual, from what I gather from other humans.
I know hundreds of songs. I remember every word, every nuance of tone the singer used, everything. If I ever knew it, I still know it now. I remember songs I learned in the 70's as a kid, and haven't heard since, and when I suddenly hear them, I remember them, and can sing along. My cousin made up a song in 1991, when she was 10, sang it to me once, and I sang it to her recently. True, I did think of it a couple of times since then.

I remember lying in a bed, must have been no more than 1 1/2, sucking on a bottle, waving my legs in the air the way little kids do, looking at the tapestry hanging on the wall, hearing my mum's voice in the other room, wanting to go to her, but she told me to sleep, and I was deciding whether I would get in trouble or not to go to her. I fell asleep, I'm pretty sure. Probably her evil plan.

I am 45, still learn songs, still remember things (many of which I wish I forgot), and never think 'been there, done that' about new things I learn. I want to know everything abut everything. I don't think my brain prunes anything. I believe things that appear forgotten are still in there. They reappear with the right cue.

I used to think everyone has the same memory as me, but they don't try hard enough so they don't know it. Now that it seems I am an aspie, it may be a splinter skill. I just don't know anymore, what to think about how I fit in with the rest of the humans. It seems I am more of a freak than I ever knew.

You are an eidetic. Enjoy your unusual talent. In the Old Days many humans were eidetic and it was a survival characteristic. Back in those days, knowing every nook, cranny and hunting ground promoted one's survival. Now in the age of reading, writing and high class storage devices being able to keep the Library of Congress in one's own head is no longer a survival requirement.

I don't need to be eidetic. I have Google as long as the electric power lasts.

ruveyn

Never heard of that. Looking forward to learning about it. THANKS!!

Oh, photographic memory. Well, now that seems obvious, and now I have a fancy new word for it
Funny, I never associated music with that because it's sound.
Live and learn.

Eidetic memory is really holistic. It includes both visual memory and sound memory. Those who have it, have a nifty, dandy, handy talent. If the power fails you can keep on recalling. You operate well, batteries not included.

ruveyn

Well, at least something does
Maybe because I wasn't made in China?

The human brain DOES have a storage limit. It is much larger than any computer we have today, but it can still fill up. In fact I imagine it would fill up quite quickly if the brain wasn't constantly deleting things it deems useless. Memories fade, you forget where you put your keys, to do the laundry, ect. Like a computer the brain can make more space by deleting old "files". Make sense?

http://www.southerncrossreview.org/55/s ... ualist.htm

Someone on the above website has a theory that human memory is not physical and so does not fill up.

Ever notice sometimes yo cant find a memory you are looking for?
Its like you go to the place you thought it was, but its not there.
If the mind was like an eyeball looking out upon a universe of thought, would that mean that thoughts have a mind of their own?

I think of memory as a kind of mental sheet of paper. If you write things on the sheet of paper (in pencil), then they're stored. But if you need more space, you can always erase things and just write new info down. But... I don't think that anything can be completely forgotten though. Even after something has been erased, it's not completely gone, just very difficult to read.

Memory is a very interesting thing...

Memory can be kept open by setting an age limit on things stored. Once an item is in storage for more than the age limit it is erased.

If the rate of erasure is greater then or equal to the rate of input of new things stored there will always be room.

ruveyn

Yes, the whole question of whether "forgetting" is how the brain keeps storage space for memory doesn't really apply to the rare individuals with hyperthymestic syndrome or savants with true eidetic memory (e.g., Kim Peek). And keep in mind that "photographic memory" can be a curse, not just a blessing. I have a form of "photographic memory" (just not TRUE eidetic memory), and while it certainly has given me many advantages in life and has helped me succeed in many ways, the downside is that I never stop thinking. My mind goes at 100 mph every minute of the day, and I can't "forget" useless details even if I try. I also believe that it plays a big part in why I developed pure obsessional OCD at such a young age. So, like anything else, photographic memory has a cost for its gain.

I have no idea how similar your memory is to mine, but I do agree there is a downside to remembering too well. I get very distressed remembering embarrassing things I experienced over 30 years ago. I remember gory or very unpleasant things just as well as nice or interesting ones.
Difficult encounters with people, that torture me, then I see the person, and they don't now what I am talking about, and I don't have any idea where to take it from there. Do I remind them, or be grateful they forgot? So then I can't try to 'finish it' (ie. 'get closure'), and just keep living with it, or try to come to terms with it as best as I can? And I wonder whether they really forgot and are pretending for some reason I cannot fathom?

I'll be doing psychology this semester. The big draw card in one of the subjects is memory. I really hope I get some insight into how my memory fares against the general population.