Teen with “every-day” memory reshapes how we think about time
TL, a teenager in France with hyperthymesia, recalls nearly every day of her life—and can even “pre-experience” imagined futures.
She describes her mind as a “white room”—a meticulously organized library where toys, books, photographs, and even painful memories are filed and, when needed, sealed away. Unlike typical memory, hers preserves sights, sounds, and feelings with unusual fidelity.
“I can visit any day and feel it again. Some boxes stay closed.”
Researchers say TL’s case could clarify how the brain binds autobiographical memory with imagination and identity. Her reports of future “pre-experiences” hint at shared circuitry for remembering the past and simulating what comes next.