Have you ever walked into a room and felt like you’ve been there before? In the exact moment, with the exact people and conversation going on? This is called Deja Vu, derived from the French phrase “already seen”. This experience makes the present seem very familiar, almost like you’ve had the exact same moment happen before. But why does this happen? What’s the explanation behind this happening?
How Common is Deja Vu?
Deja Vu is actually a very common experience that many people have experienced at least once in their life, around 97% of people are estimated to have felt this happening. Although almost all people experience this, it is much more common in younger people around the ages of 15-25 years old. It tends to happen more if you have dreams very often or if you’re really tired and stressed. This also usually occurs when a somewhat boring event is happening, like walking into a room.
Theories Behind Deja Vu
Over the years many scientists have proposed multiple explanations for the cause of Deja Vu, each showing how high the possibilities are of it being true. Here are a few possible theories for what could be the cause.
- Memory-based: This happens when a current situation seems very similar to a previous one. That’s because our memories are fragments in our brain, making new and old memories overlap which then makes us think we have experienced the current situation before.
- Delayed Signal: A delay in signals that can make you feel like whatever is going on is old and has already happened.
- Split perception: When a person experiences the current sensory twice but the first time is not exactly focused, so the second time it seems familiar because the person naturally remembers some of the first time.
What Causes Deja Vu?
To this day, this important question remains a mystery, but scientists may get some clues from certain people who experience deja vu more than others. For example, people who have a condition called “temporal lobe epilepsy” report having deja vu right before a seizure. Epilepsy can affect brain cells to send signals that are out of control and move through the brain cells, knocking one another over and losing control of their memories or movement. The frontal lobe is the part of the brain that remembers the familiarity causing the sense of deja vu while the other part of the brain chooses to ignore all the signs.
Deja Vu is a very interesting experience that still needs many answers. Nobody knows for sure why this is caused and why people experience it. Sometimes it is just an absurd combination of circumstances. Sometimes it’s a sign you get from above that you need to pay attention to. Experiencing Deja Vu may also mean you need to get a little more sleep or have a hobby that relaxes you to calm your stress levels down. Overall, there is no scientific theory explaining the mechanism behind Deja Vu as it still remains a mystery today.