INTjs, synaesthesia and good memory

[oyburger]

I have excellent long term memory. I remember what I was thinking and doing as far back as when I was 18 months old. I remember figuring out that I didn't have to think about breathing for it to happen, learning the word for carrot and counting to 100 and the thoughts that accompanied these and other small milestones. Even as a child I realized that this was considered odd, at least by my parents.

Is this common to INTjs?

I have synaesthesia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia and it is said that this condition enables the brain to code information differently resulting in a better memory. The different sensations act as a mnemonic device, I guess. But my mother(INFj) and sister(INFp) both have synaesthesia and both have terrible memories.

I havn't met anyone that could remember their past like I can, but I also don't know any other INTjs in real life, so I didn't know if this is a common INTj trait.

[diamond]

My brother is an intj and has a memory like an elephant. He keeps track of every wrong done to him so he holds grudges.

[Ms. Kensington]

yes i sometimes find my memory a burden. remembering physical details and being sensitive to sensual detail would be correlated to Si i think. I also have synaesthesia; i dont know if you need to be diagnosed with this but i was just on my merry way and my friend who was studying psychology said that i had it.

from my own point of view yes i think things taste and sound like colors, colors make me feel as if ive smelled something, etc. I am INTj.

[oyburger]

He keeps track of every wrong done to him so he holds grudges.

It's hard to get over a hurt when everything is engrained in your memory

yes i sometimes find my memory a burden.

Me too. I can remember my thoughts on a certain subject from ten years ago, and when it crops up later in life, I have a harder time changing perspectives.

I also have synaesthesia; i dont know if you need to be diagnosed with this but i was just on my merry way and my friend who was studying psychology said that i had it.

I've had it for as long as I can remember but for the most part I thought everyone experienced the things I did. Of the things I knew others didn't experience, like seeing each letter, word and number as a certain color instead of just black, I just thought it was due to my imagination.
It could be worse though, at least I don't smell songs like my mother does

What kind of synaesthesia do you have?

[science as magic]

my memory is fairly horrific but this is mostly because i've learnt to forget at will

[Lewis Stern]

I usually find that learning something 'the hard way' usually sticks... :wink:

[FDG]

Not type related.

[Mastermind]

Same here. I try not to let it show though. I may forgive but I don't forget.

Yup.

[Pretty Little Poison]

This is my first post, and I'm not sure if my question belongs here, but...

I'm in a relationship with an INTj, and he has practically no childhood memories. It puzzles me to no end because he seems to be able to recall just about anything he's read, seen, or heard in the latter part of his life. He can remember childhood facts, but not circumstances/scenes/stories. Could it be he has little room for those memories because the facts take up so much space?

[oyburger]

I doubt that its because his head is filled.
It may be that he was so much in his own little world that he just didn't pay attention to the circumstances.
This happens to me a lot.

[Lex]

I had no idea that there was a name for associating colours with letters and numbers. Yes, I do that---no question. I also see age numerals in a specific location in my mind, wrapping around with turns at all of the tens. My mind is like an odd maze sometimes, what with the “locations” for different things. I wouldn’t say that my memory is particularly impressive, but I do recall little things from my childhood that seem to amaze my parents when I talk about them. I recall thinking very pointedly at a very young age, and contemplating said ability to think, but I cannot recall what age I was (under 5, I know). I used to wonder if I was an adult trapped in a small child’s body.

[oyburger]

I used to wonder if I was an adult trapped in a small child’s body.

Me too.

[UDP]

This is my first post, and I'm not sure if my question belongs here, but...

I'm in a relationship with an INTj, and he has practically no childhood memories. It puzzles me to no end because he seems to be able to recall just about anything he's read, seen, or heard in the latter part of his life. He can remember childhood facts, but not circumstances/scenes/stories. Could it be he has little room for those memories because the facts take up so much space?

...... there's nothing I wanted to remember from my childhood. I deemed it as 'not very important'.

I have a fairly good memory, I think.

yes i sometimes find my memory a burden. remembering physical details and being sensitive to sensual detail would be correlated to Si i think.

I can relate to that.

[BlendieOfIndie]

If I was a computer, I would have a large hard drive and very little RAM. (translation: I have a good long term memory, but short term sucks). I think short term is bad because I'm usually not paying attention to what's going on. I want to know what time it is, so I look at a clock. By the time I look away, I already forgot the time. I think the problem is that I didn't actually internalize the time in the first place (I just looked in the direction of the clock.

My brother is an intj and has a memory like an elephant. He keeps track of every wrong done to him so he holds grudges.

He prolly doesn't give a shit about the incident. I remember stuff like that so that I can use it in future arguments. My mom and sister always harass me about stupid little things (like not hanging up a shirt). So when I see them do something like not turm off a light, I remember it. The next time the bitch about something stupid, I also bring up something stupid - to show how rediculous they are acting.

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Umm... I aggree with FDG that memory is not type related. However I think that certain types are more likely to remember certain things.

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I have several memories from when I was 2/3/4... but not 18 months.

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Memories have never been a burden for me... I love and cherish them.

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This psychological disease - Synesthesia - sounds like you're tripping on LSD. That's weird.

[oyburger]

This psychological disease - Synesthesia - sounds like you're tripping on LSD. That's weird.

People who take LSD report experiencing synaesthesia, so I guess in a sense synaesthesia lets one naturally trip.

[nightengale]

I remember many childhood memories, especially under the age of four...it's wierd. I remember starting my life. Everything was in darkness and then I saw a light (lol...i know it sounds wierd but it's true). Then my life jumped to being in my nursery, playing on the floor or should I say I learned what it meant to go to the bathroom (hehe). And then I remember being with my cousins in Riverfront Park (I didn't know where I was) on a train. I tried to touch the colorful flowers, but my oldest cousin pulled me back in.

I also remember when I found out that my reflection in a mirror was actually me.

But my memory of NAMES is REALLY BAD. I can't remember anyone's name for the life of me. I can remember numbers though...does that mean anything?

[oyburger]

I used to have an excellent memory for names, not so much anymore; but for numbers, never.

And that didn't sound weird, it sounds like a lot of my early experiences.

[Froody Blue Gem]

I have a pretty good memory and pride myself on it. I can remember a lot of info on animals, biology, stuff I'm learning in class, scenes and characters from books, info about fandom/TV show/movie stuff. I'm good at remembering significant dates/years that things happened on, especially if something happened that was important in my life that year. I naturally associate colors with different concepts, days of the week, music, and numbers. It doesn't always make sense, the associations that I make but it kind of happens.

I also remember conversations I've had with people, specific things people have said to me years down the road, and the original people forget they ever said anything like that. I can remember random facts and make connections that other people find to be obscure. My memory tends to be below average when it comes to real life hardskills, remembering how to get to a place, or do a task in the workplace and remembering the intricate details.

[Froody Blue Gem]

@Froody Blue Gem

What's with all the necroposting? Are you searching for specific things to comment on, do you just prefer old discussions, or what? Just curious, it doesn't bother me, kind of like going back in time though since I was present for all these threads heh.

Kind of uninspired to make new ones. Or else, I know there is no guarantee that new topics would get a response and the risk factor involved in that, or wouldn't be redundant compared to other things previously said, and these parts of the boards are rather slow/dead, and I want to post on something type related. Curiosity of if there was anything interesting previously said goes into it too.

[FreelancePoliceman]

I think that, naturally, I have a good memory. Somewhat similar to what’s described in the OP, though I’m not synesthetic. But for reasons that aren’t type related, I have large gaps in my memory that are difficult to think about. I think that being used to experiencing memories that way has made it difficult to form new memories unless they’re of something I consciously make an effort to.