What HSAM is
Highly superior autobiographical memory — HSAM, also discussed under the older term hyperthymesia — describes people who recall the events of their own lives in extraordinary detail and quantity, typically dated to the day. It is not a trained skill like competitive memorisation, and it is not photographic memory for information in general. It applies to lived experience.
The number of people identified with it is very small, which is the reason researchers pursue individual cases in such depth and the reason Sharrock has spent years as a subject as well as a person. Each confirmed case is a rare natural experiment in how autobiographical memory is stored and retrieved.
From twelve days old
Sharrock's account, given to the BBC World Service programme Outlook in August 2018 under the title I remember when I was a newborn, is that her recall begins at twelve days of age. It is among the earliest first memories anyone has publicly claimed.
This page reports the claim as she states it. Early autobiographical memory is one of the most contested areas in psychology, and the honest position is that her testimony and her participation in research are documented — the neurological mechanism is not settled here.
It is awful to be a medical exception
The Guardian's January 2022 profile took its headline from her own assessment: it is awful to be a medical exception, the woman who cannot forget. The framing is deliberate. Total recall is usually presented as a superpower; Sharrock has consistently described the cost of it.
A memory that does not fade means an argument from a decade ago retains its original force, and an ordinary bad day does not soften into a story. What is a curiosity to a reader is a permanent condition to the person living inside it.
A research subject
By 2022 Sharrock was reported to be taking part in HSAM research with the University of Queensland and the University of California — the institutions that have led work on the condition. She had already appeared on 60 Minutes Australia in 2016.
That dual role is the useful part of her public profile. Cases like hers are how the field advances: a small number of people who can be tested repeatedly, over years, against verifiable calendars and public events.
What is documented — and what is not
Documented: that she lives in Brisbane, that she has HSAM, that she states her recall begins at twelve days old, that The Guardian and the BBC have profiled her, and that she has taken part in university research into the condition.
Not documented in these sources: her age or birth year, her work, her family, any formal test scores, and any diagnosis beyond what she has described publicly. This page reports her memory as she and her interviewers describe it, and makes no medical claim of its own.
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- She has HSAM and lives in Brisbane, Australia.
- She states publicly that she recalls every day of her life from twelve days old.
- She was profiled by The Guardian in January 2022 and by BBC World Service's Outlook in 2018.
- She has taken part in HSAM research with the University of Queensland and the University of California.
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- Her age and birth year.
- Any published test results from the research she has joined.
- The mechanism behind her earliest memories, which remains scientifically contested.
- Her occupation and current activities.
Questions people ask about Rebecca Sharrock
What is Rebecca Sharrock's condition?
Highly superior autobiographical memory, or HSAM, also described as hyperthymesia: an unusual capacity to recall the events of one's own life in dated detail.
How far back does she remember?
She says her recall starts at twelve days old. She described it to BBC World Service in 2018 under the title I remember when I was a newborn.
How old is Rebecca Sharrock?
The sources used here do not give her age or birth year.
Is HSAM the same as a photographic memory?
No. HSAM concerns autobiographical experience — the events of a person's own life — rather than a general ability to memorise information.
Is her memory scientifically proven?
She has taken part in HSAM research with the University of Queensland and the University of California. This page reports her account and her research participation; it does not publish test results, which are not in these sources.
Why does she call it awful?
Because a memory that does not fade keeps painful days at their original intensity. The Guardian took its 2022 headline from her description of being a medical exception.
Is Rebecca Sharrock on Wikipedia?
Not with an article of her own. Her case is discussed in Wikipedia's article on hyperthymesia.
Where does she live?
Brisbane, Australia.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Rebecca’s story?
What does HSAM stand for?
How early does Rebecca Sharrock say her memories begin?
Which universities are named in the research she joined?
Sources
- It's awful to be a medical exception: the woman who cannot forget — The Guardian, 2022-01-19
- I remember when I was a newborn — BBC World Service (Outlook), 2018-08-28
- Hyperthymesia — Wikipedia
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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