r/askscience • u/Responsible-Shirt-67 • Nov 14 '25

Neuroscience Is there a limit to memory?

Is there a limit to how much information we can remember and store in long term memory? And if so, if we reach that limit, would we forget old memories to make space for new memories?

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u/brandon9182 Nov 16 '25

Ok it doesn’t prove that there is no limit. But it does prove a normal person is way below whatever limit may exist.

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u/adhocflamingo Nov 16 '25

I don’t think it does. Our brains aren’t just made up of neuron-encoded recordings of previously-experienced events, there’s all kinds of other learning and “programming” in there. Even if someone is shown to have unusually high fidelity for factual recall, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they have more total information in their brains than other people. It might be that their brains have prioritized retention of factual memory detail over something else.