.arunim.fyiI recently went to a talk at manifest 2025 where a former world memory champion was describing how to improve your memory. He mentioned that choosing to perceive the world in higher fidelity (i.e. smelling the roses, being in awe of the little things) was actually great for improving your recollection of the scene being perceived, or something like that—I don’t remember it that clearly. What I do remember is that he followed this up with some off-hand comment about how choosing to perceive the world in higher fidelity also just feels nicer.
I think he was right! It is indeed wonderful to just take it all in, instead of speeding through life with blinders on. Picture, maybe, your stereotypical movie scene of pedestrians on their phones, headphones on, half-zombie, walking past what might be one of the more beautiful storefronts in NYC where our protagonist has set up shop. I do this all the time, and when I stop doing it, I’m astounded! And this isn’t to say you can’t or shouldn’t walk with haste—you can do both, observing the details of your surroundings while moving quickly.
You might find wonderful things like:
- raindrops on the side of the airplane window get smaller and smaller as you take off, to a point.
- the mailbox across your office has been moved 4 times since the sidewalk was last surfaced.
- the sports car at the car wash is always parked mere feet away from a spot that the birds have chosen to make deposits, yet always clean.
Caveat for caveat’s sake: idk maybe this doesn’t apply to neurodivergent ppl who feel sensory overload. Maybe it does. Lmk if you can provide anecdotal evidence one way or another.