Have you ever experienced déjà vu? You are doing something or being somewhere and you have the feeling that you have experienced this before. This while it is not the case. Déjà vu is a phenomenon that many people experience. Why do so many people experience déjà vu? What is the explanation for this?
Also read: The meaning of the 6 most common dreams
Who often experiences déjà vu?
Although anyone can experience déjà vu at any time, there are people who have it more often than others. Déjà vu is relatively common in young people aged fifteen to twenty-five. They are often people who travel a lot and have a great imagination. A feeling of déjà vu arises when they are tired and experience a lot of stress. They are also often people who easily remember their dreams. If you often experience déjà vu, you may recognize yourself in these characteristics.
Theories
There are many theories about déjà vu. People are said to have experienced something in their past life that is similar to what they experience when they experience déjà vu. In a paranormal way they then have a vague memory of that previous life. However, others think that déjà vu is in your head and it is not real.
Short circuit
One theory for déjà vu is the short-circuit theory. What does that mean? According to the short-circuit theory, we see something and first store it in our memory. Only then do we become aware of the situation. This makes it seem as if we remember something or gives you the feeling that something seems familiar. Normally the process takes place the other way around. We are aware of a situation and then store it in our memory. This sounds like a good theory, but many scientists disagree.
Opponents of the short-circuit theory think that déjà vu is a mistake in your brain. They call this the memory error theory. This involves combining a situation and a memory in the wrong way. This makes you think that you have experienced something before. For example, you have been in a place that is similar to the place you are when you experience déjà vu. This then makes you think that you are experiencing something for the second time.
Confused
Research by neuroscientists has found evidence for the ‘memory error theory’. They have discovered a thinking error in the brain that explains déjà vu. The ‘how and where’ fallacy. Memories are constantly stored in your hippocampus. About places, events and everything you experience. The dentate gyrus (lower part of the hippocampus) recognizes the small differences between places, for example, and makes them larger. If this doesn’t work well, you may not be keeping places apart properly. This may be the cause of experiencing déjà vu.
