# Most people store memories visually it seems

**URL:** <https://forum.artofmemory.com/t/most-people-store-memories-visually-it-seems/89475>\
**Category:** Neuroscience, Psychology, and Health\
**Tags:** visualization\
**Created:** [January 4, 2024, 9:25pm UTC](https://forum.artofmemory.com/t/most-people-store-memories-visually-it-seems/89475 "2024-01-04T21:25:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![thinkaboutthebible](https://forum.artofmemory.com/user_avatar/forum.artofmemory.com/thinkaboutthebible/32/12986_2.png) [@thinkaboutthebible](https://forum.artofmemory.com/u/thinkaboutthebible)\
**Post date:** [January 4, 2024, 9:25pm UTC](https://forum.artofmemory.com/t/most-people-store-memories-visually-it-seems/89475/1 "2024-01-04T21:25:36Z")

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Instead of encoding visual information into a native storage format, it looks like the brain stores images directly! It’s called retinotopic data and I think it has strong consequences for designing memory systems.

> **[Brain data format we use to store images as memories found](https://www.theregister.com/offbeat/2024/01/02/brain-data-format-we-use-to-store-images-as-memories-found/1064671)**
>
> No, you aren't special - we're probably all visual learners

Doug

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**Author:** ![TheHumanTim](https://forum.artofmemory.com/user_avatar/forum.artofmemory.com/thehumantim/32/17301_2.png) [@TheHumanTim](https://forum.artofmemory.com/u/TheHumanTim)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2024, 2:44pm UTC](https://forum.artofmemory.com/t/most-people-store-memories-visually-it-seems/89475/3 "2024-01-05T14:44:27Z")

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> [@erikfromholland](#):
>
> In this particular case I might even be able to connect the picture to the movie scene if the mechanics were replaced by sailors, the car was replaced by a Ferrari and John Travolta was replaced by Donald Thrump.

I wonder what the threshold would be for when minor changes stack up enough to where the connection doesnt fire. Like if we made all those replacements but the image was also flipped so that the car was on the right and Donny was on the left. Would that be just enough that we wouldn’t make the connection back to the original? Obviously the more familiar you are with the source material the more minor compounded changes you can tolerate before you dont recognize it.