15-year-old Sicilian boy has been tested as being the youngest person in the world with a ‘super-memory’ meaning he remembers the precise date of everything he has ever done, and everything that has ever happened to him.
The unnamed boy’s extraordinary ability is described in the journal Cortex by Valerio Santangelo of the University of Perugia and Patrizia Campolongo of Sapienza University of Rome.
“He’s the youngest person in the world identified with hyperthymesia, or autobiographical hypermemory,” Santangelo told ANSA.
“It’s the first documented case in this age group.
Previously, there had only been anecdotal reports of hypermemory onset in adolescence, but no objective evidence at an early age.” The young man, the researcher continues, “is a Sicilian boy who is now 15 years old, and whom we met and tested two years ago, when he was 13.” The boy’s mother reported the boy’s astonishing memory abilities.
Under various memory tests, the young man was able to recall three very precise and specific types of autobiographical content, for which the researchers were able to verify both the precise date and the details, such as public events related to his interests, school events, and vacation or travel photos.
