Ask Lemmy

By the way, recall that humans were traditionally hunter-gatherers, for hundreds of thousands of years. This required them to be intimately familiar with a large chunk of land around their home and know all the plants and animals that were there. Rural dwellers still show similar knowledge of the land.

Kim Stanley Robinson's novel 'Shaman' kinda touches on this just a bit, showing what life might've been like for a prehistoric human. The author is known for meticulously researching the subject matter of his books: for example, he's said that he spent time figuring out which words likely originated in prehistoric time, and that it felt weird to have his characters basically say "mamma mia", as those are some of the oldest words.

(Although a recent thread on Reddit on a related topic assumes throughout that humans were nomadic before agriculture. This clashes with my previous belief, but I don't know enough about this to figure out which view is correct.)

Not just houses and apartments, including those where I was a guest. I also walked quite a lot across two cities — as hiking exercise, I walked over most of a city with several million population, over a few years. I can remember most of those streets, and I've noticed some changes in the landscape from years before: mostly new fences and buildings put up.

Moreover, I have a couple places that only exist in my dreams and daydreams, but are the same every time they pop into my mind. They vaguely correspond to real places, but aren't copies of them.

This all is not to brag, as my memory otherwise is rather questionable, and I have little use for spatial memory, not being a taxi driver or whatever.

I remember every place where I've lived in for more than one week. Including their surrounding areas. I like go back there in my mind from time to time, for many of them don't exist any more.

I've only lived in two homes so far so yes, they're both in there.

Yup, every single one, with one exception.

Once I was renting a town house, and due to a structural issue, had to move in to the unit next to it after being in the original unit for about 2 years. Turns out the unit next to it was an exact mirror of the original one. That really messed with my head and I have trouble recalling the exact layout any more. My brain keeps flipping and merging different parts of them together in to some strange chimera.

It also messed with my cats, who would run down the stairs and turn the wrong direction, in to a wall.

Yes, perfectly. I can think of an abandoned house I used to go in 20 years ago and recall the almost exact layout of it.

I have a really good map memory. My friend though, they cannot visualize in their head so its hard for them. I had thought everyone could do it.

Running through my head, I could easily draw maps for dozens of places. I've lived in quite a few, but my work had me regularly visiting a lot of different offices (IT). Many of them I did literally draw maps of, for wiring diagrams, or just to help other techs find their way.

My entire memory operates spatially. I have accurate floor plans of every place I’ve been to at least more than once. I can navigate any number of places. Even still have the layout and significant memories of my old middle school. (Interestingly enough, when I went back there, the whole building felt about 30% smaller in every dimension—hallways narrower and shorter, ceilings lower. Turns out, this is because I’m 30% larger than I was when I was twelve.)

Pretty sure this is kind of how lots of memory works in general—very spatially oriented and you can use that to your advantage. Look up ‘memory palace’ for example.

I feel this is probably pretty common, unless you've lived in a bunch of different places for not very long at a time.

I've only lived in 3 places. (Well 4, but I was only like 2 or 3 when we left the first one)

Only 3 places for a decent amount of time while old enough to remember. Moved out of the first of those when I was 6. My only other places are the house I grew up in and a house I moved into with friends and co-workers.

None of my siblings remember the first house, but I could still draw a decent layout of it, and remember how it looked.

My main house I lived in the most I still know obviously, and my parents still own it, so I definitely haven't forgotten it.

I've lived in 21 apartments/houses, and I remember them all except from four where I didn't live for very long.

Side note: I've worked offshore rotation for years, and a ship becomes your home away from home. I remember them all.

When I’m stressed out and need to calm myself, I run through the layouts of old buildings I used to work, live, or go to school in.

All of Skyrim

Nearly every place. Apparently we lived in a place for a few months when I was first born.

Freaked out part of my family when I drew a map of the first house I remember. I think they finally figured out that children do remember things... And a lot of the shit I was put through I might remember

Ha, yes. I actually just had a funny moment about this a few weeks ago. I spent a lot of time as a teen in Canada (I live in the US.) One of my coworkers, by sheer coincidence, came from the same town I used to visit.

We were talking the other day and I mentioned that I had sushi for the first time in Canada. She asked where and I was like, “Oh, I don’t remember the name, but I know where it was.” She mentioned a name, which didn’t initially ring a bell, so I opened a map. I zoomed in on where I remembered walking until I found the spot, and instantly laughed. It was, indeed, the exact same place my coworker named.

It’s been over 20 years, but if I were to go to Canada and take the train into that town, I’d still be able to walk to that sushi place without any help.

I remember basically every house or apartment I’ve lived in, and every office I’ve worked in. Probably quite a few stores and restaurants I’ve frequented, schools I’ve attended. I can recall neighborhood layouts. Basically anything spatial.

Now, can I tell you what someone’s name is two minutes after they’ve told me? Not a chance.

everywhere i have ever been...

Pretty much, yes. I could probably draw them now, but I make no assumptions that it would be to scale.

I can't draw you a map of routes I've taken, but I can see them in my head.

I remember drawing floorplans for fun as a kid after my dad brought home a book of them from a housing company - that was 30± years ago.

But I can't tell you what I had for breakfast this morning.

Yes. Interesting observation that we remember that.

I have only lived in 3 places. I can definitely remember the second place, the longest one. I vaguely remember the first house I lived in until I was 5. Not sure how close my memory is to reality tho. The second house I could just load up a Doom .wad I still have from when I made my house in the game if I ever forgot or felt nostalgia for.

I think I could do fairly well with any place I'd frequently been in, and with enough autonomy to get disoriented and reoriented. Some of the houses I've lived in are not much more architecturally elaborate than a shotgun shack, but I could also do my elementary school, most of a middle school, two college dormitories, and most of a university library.

TFC and TF2 maps

Yep. Couldn't tell you dates, names, or many events, but I have a great mental image of what the places looked like and how they were laid out.

I remember every place I've ever lived. My mind will not forget those things.

Every home I've lived in, every school I've attended, and every office I've worked in.

What's weird is when I have a dream that takes place in one of these, they almost always wrong. When I can remember the dream I can also remember exactly how the space was different from my memories. Of course my waking memories are the correct ones, right? Right? Oh no.

Yes, I thought back through them and I can totally remember and visualize them. But I've forgotten a lot of the address numbers.

There was an apartment we lived in when I was 6-7 which for some reason has some hazy spots, but besides that yeah pretty much. Friends' houses, schools since 9ish (at least the parts I went to), every workplace, theme parks, basically anywhere I've been a few times.

Easy, most of the places I've lived in are one bedroom apartments.

I have exceptionally good memory for this kind of thing so yes. I can probably remember the layout of every building i've ever fully explored or 80% explored.

I remember some of the schools I’ve been to… like the general vibe of it, idk if I could actually draw a map… more of a notebook doodle maybe

I think you'll surprise yourself. You piece things together at the time, E.G "I can't go there because it's staff only; therefore that entire area must contain the teachers' lounge, where they make the food, and the headteachers' office." By process of elimination you could probably figure out what each room was used for in your old school even without having gone to all the rooms.

I call myself a homing pigeon because I have some wicked intuition with spatial knowledge.

So that being said, yes. I could definitely map out everywhere I've lived or visited for an okay amount of time. I could also probably give a pretty decent map of the surrounding areas of each.

I have the spicy brain. I remember everywhere I've ever driven to and that's a lot of places. Across Canada several times. Lived in 5 different provinces and traveled extensively throughout. I map everything in my head. I am terrible with cardinal directions though.

Any place I've frequented I guess

Hmm, I only have a rough idea about my elementary school, come to think of it. I remember the field outside much better. Later schools are easy, though. Houses are all there, and relative's houses. Certain stores and a church or two, as well.

I remember a radius around every place I've lived outside, but could only draw it geometrically where there's been grid layouts. Otherwise it would be kinda abstract, like they did it in Rome:

Central Europe and Africa pictured, lol.

I'm 53 now, and could easily draw a map of the 2 houses that I lived in as a kid between 5 and 18 years old, along with most of the 10 or so houses I've lived in as an adult (a couple were very short term as a young adult, and I'm kind of vague on the exact layouts).

Before 3 years old I don't remember much, a couple of vague things that could just be from pictures of me in those houses, rather than real memories. I kind of remember some of the house from 4 - 5 years old.

I only remember one because it was a shot gun layout. Kitchen-living room-mom's bedroom-my bedroom all in a straight line. Super inconvenient because I had to go past her room every time. The other places I lived were bigger, so I don't remember them exactly.