A young couple takes a 'selfie' at Seattle's Pike's Place Market. (Photo by Richard Butler/DPReview.com) 


But a new study, published in Psychological Science, suggests it's possible that the act of taking pictures may actually lessen our ability to recall the details of a subject.  

Researcher Linda Henkel of Fairfield University in Connecticut took university students on a guided museum tour and asked them to observe some objects and photograph others. The results of the study are interesting:


Other findings from the study also revealed an exception: 


Henkel told the New York Daily News: 'When people rely on technology to remember for them — counting on the camera to record the event and thus not needing to attend to it fully themselves — it can have a negative impact on how well they remember their experiences.'

So a picture may be worth a thousand words, but if you can't remember what happened, it may not be worth anything at all. 

What's your experience in recalling details of events or places from photographs you've taken?