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Have you ever experienced a moment where you feel like you already have a memory of living through it, even though it’s happening for the first time?
This strange feeling is known as Déjà vu and it has fascinated scientists and philosophers for centuries.
Although an estimated 97% of people have experienced déjà vu at least once in their lives, it remains one of the most mysterious behaviors of the human brain.
What Is Déjà vu
Déjà vu is French for “Already Seen”
It describes the peculiar familiarity we get with any experience even though we are doing it for the first time.
Imagine walking into a new place — a restaurant— and suddenly you feel as though you’ve been there before, even though you know you haven’t.
Everything feels oddly familiar; the layout, the waiters, even the conversation around you, yet you can’t explain why.
You can feel it in any situation actually. In a family gathering or a work meeting, for example, you hear someone speaking and you feel that you have heard the same speech from the same person before.
This weird feeling can leave you questioning your own memory and perception of reality.
Theories and Explanations
Unfortunately, there is no definitive theory that can 100% explain the phenomenon of Déjà Vu.
Scientists have proposed many theories to try to explain this odd behavior.
1- Error In Brain Processing
Some scientists link this feeling to a malfunction in memory processing.
Within our brains is a region known as the Hippocampal Formation, which is responsible for memory formation.
It consists of two subdivisions: one for short-term memory, which is responsible for all the trivial information we receive all day which we do not need to remember.
The other one is for long-term memory, which is responsible for important memories.
Initially, any memory enters the short-term region, and if the brain decides that it is important, it gets transferred to the long-term region.
This theory suggests that occasionally, the brain confuses new events, directing them straight to long-term memory, which evokes a sense of familiarity in new situations.
2- Misguided Brain Region
Normally, when we encounter a familiar situation, a brain region called, the Rhinal Cortex, is activated to remind us that we had an experience with it before.
So this theory suggests that certain new situations activate this region, leading it to perceive them as old memories rather than new ones.
This may be because this new situation may have specific elements that we have experienced before.
3- Dreams
Psychologists did not exclude the possibility that déjà vu is linked to our dreams and unconscious experiences.
According to this theory, déjà vu may occur when a certain situation that we experience resembles a past dream that we had before.
The Future Of Déjà vu
Déjà vu remains a fascinating yet mysterious part of the human brain as it captures our interest and makes us wonder about how our minds work.
Even though many theories try to explain it, we still don’t really know what causes it.
This mystery encourages us to keep learning and exploring how our brains function. Understanding déjà vu better could teach us a lot about memory, how we see things, and how our minds think.