Usually, every moment of life is experienced as unique. However, approximately two-thirds of people occasionally experience a strange fleeting sensation – as if life is repeating itself. As if we’ve been in this exact place before, feeling exactly the same – even if we realize it’s impossible.
This phenomenon is known as ‘deja vu’ (literally ‘already seen’). Science has offered various explanations for this phenomenon, some of them even involving the idea of parallel universes and our ability to glimpse into the future. So, it’s time to delve into deja vu scientifically. AdmiGram.com has gathered all the most truthful and interesting information.
What is deja vu: a scientific explanation of the phenomenon
What did people initially think about deja vu?
Historically, the first version was that deja vu arises because of a delay in the signal coming from one of our eyes after the brain has already processed the information. However, this version was categorically rejected as it was found that this sensation can occur even in blind people.
There were also attempts to understand and explain this phenomenon through the analysis of the experiences of people with temporal lobe epilepsy, who experience deja vu before or during a seizure, as well as patients with dementia who live with ‘chronic deja vu’ – a feeling that every moment of life has already happened. This occurs when the brain areas responsible for memory and recognition are damaged or malfunctioning.
How did the study of deja vu progress with the advent of psychology?
The grandfather of American psychology, William James, suggested that strong emotional experiences literally leave ‘scars on the brain tissues.’ So, metaphorically, experts used to describe what is now called ‘memory flashes,’ and they got this name due to their exceptional speed.
So, these ‘scars,’ like a sudden sharp pain, in the scientist’s opinion, could remind us of themselves in similar situations. This is how the ‘we’ve seen this somewhere before’ effect was explained. It’s worth noting that William James came the closest to predicting the modern explanation of this phenomenon.
What do we know about deja vu today for sure?
The most accurate understanding of deja vu comes from American scientists – cognitive psychology professor Anne Cleary and Alan Brown. They proved that deja vu is most often triggered by a place or an event with similar emotional experiences in the past.
Deja vu is a state where our brain can momentarily make an error, reshaping short-term memory into long-term memory with similar visual or emotional triggers. At that moment, our consciousness instantly reproduces the moment you just saw, as if it were a memory that has already happened.
