philosophy

Explain it: Why Do We Get Déjà Vu?

  • SHARE
Explain it

... like I'm 5 years old

Déjà Vu, a French term that literally translates to "already seen", is a phenomenon most of us experience at some point. In essence, it's that eerie sensation when you feel like you've lived a moment before. You're in a conversation or walking down a street, and suddenly, you're hit with a wave of familiarity. Even though you know the situation is fresh and new, it feels like a repeat. It's like watching a rerun of a TV episode, you're sure you've never seen before.

Scientists aren't entirely sure why déjà vu occurs, but they do have some theories. One leading theory suggests it's a glitch in our brain's memory systems. Our brains are constantly processing new information and categorizing it into what's familiar and what isn't. Sometimes, this system might misfire, making us feel like a new situation is familiar.

Imagine you're sorting socks. Most of them are unique, but sometimes, you come across a pair that's identical to another. For a moment, you're confused. Did you already sort this pair? That moment of confusion is a lot like déjà vu.

Explain it

... like I'm in College

Now that we have a basic understanding, let's delve a bit deeper. The theory of a memory misfiring is only one part of the story. Some neuroscientists think déjà vu might be related to the way our brains process incoming information. Usually, our brains take in sensory information, process it, and then we experience the perception of it. However, during déjà vu, this process might get out of sync.

Imagine if the brain’s perception of events lags slightly behind its processing of sensory information. By the time perception occurs, the brain has already processed the information, making the current situation feel like a memory. It's like a slight echo in our cognition.

EXPLAIN IT with

Think of your brain as a giant Lego structure, continuously adding and rearranging bricks (memories) into specific patterns. Each new experience is like a new Lego brick. Usually, you add the brick to a new part of the structure, creating a new pattern.

But what happens if, by some quirk, a new brick ends up in a pattern that already exists? You'd look at it and feel like you've seen this arrangement before, even though the brick is new. That's déjà vu – a new brick in an old pattern, a new experience that feels eerily familiar.

Explain it

... like I'm an expert

For those well-versed in neuroscience, déjà vu presents a fascinating puzzle. The mechanism is believed to be rooted in the medial temporal lobe, particularly the hippocampus and the parahippocampal gyrus – regions involved in memory formation and retrieval.

One theory, called the "DOPE" (Dual Processing, Out of sync, Perception, and Experience) model, proposes that déjà vu occurs when there's a split-second delay in transferring information from one side of the brain to the other. One side processes information a fraction of a second faster than the other, leading to the feeling of having already experienced a new situation.

  • SHARE