What is a DÉJÀ VU and why does it happen?

Surely more than once you have had the feeling of be in a situation that you have already lived, truth? Even if you are in a new place and with new people, it is possible that, at times, this feeling appears in your mind that makes you believe that you have already been in this situation at another time in your life. This is what is known as "déjà vu", a French term that literally means "already seen".

It is a very curious and surprising sensation that floods our mind and, because of this, there are many explanations and theories about what is a déjà vu and why does it happen. But in this Psychology-Online article we are going to discover the scientific explanation of this mental state and that, thus, you know the processes that occur in your brain.

Index

1. What is a Déjà vu
2. Types of Déjà vu
3. Why does a Déjà vu happen
4. Causes of a Déjà vu
5. Unscientific theories of having a Déjà vu

What is the meaning of a déjà vu? When we get the feeling that we have already experienced this situation before. Is about

Having a "déjà vu" is something very common and common in people. In fact, around the 70% of the population he has lived this experience throughout his life. It is a sensation that, in general, is usually brief and very fleeting. It appears spontaneously and there are no specific causes that promote its appearance.

Experts in the cognitive sciences indicate that there are 3 types of déjà vu that are classified according to the characteristics of what we have experienced. They are as follows:

• Déjà vécu: literally means "already lived", therefore, it is about the feeling that makes us believe that this We have already lived the whole situation. That is to say, it is the most complete affectation and the one that is most related to the generic term "déjà vu".
• Let me feel: it is a feeling that makes you believe that you have already lived that experience because emotionally you are repeating the same sensations. However, you are not able to remember anything other than the emotion that this situation causes you.
• Let me visit: is the third most common type and refers to having the feeling of already know a place even if it's the first time you're there. It can be a city, yes, but also a house, an office, a forest, and so on. It is a very disconcerting feeling, but it is also very rare.

In this other article we talk about other recognition disturbances so that you know everything that can happen when the brain fails.

Now that you know what a Déjà vu is, let's understand why it happens through a scientific explanation. As we have already said, it is a sensation that takes place in the brain, therefore, we have to take into account that there is some alteration of the cognitive system that makes us live this experience.

Normally, when our memory recalls something from the past, the brain activates a temporal lobe circuit. This is our organ's way of making memories appear in our minds. But, when we have a Déjà vu, what happens is that this circuit is activated at a time when that it would not have to activate and, therefore, our feeling is that we are having a memory. Discover where memories are stored.

That is, Déjà vu appear by a "glitch" in the brain circuit that makes us have the sensation of experiencing a memory when, in reality, we have not lived it.

Why do Déja vu pass? The origin of this "short-circuit" is still unknown. It is not known exactly what the causes of Déjà vu are, but experts have detected some common factors in people who experience it. They are as follows:

• Live a period of stress.
• People with the creative mind and imaginative.
• Very smart people.
• It is usually most common between the ages of 15 and 25.

But What if you have Déjà vu constantly? You should go to the doctor for an exam. As we have said, this sensation appears due to a failure in the cerebral lobe and, therefore, if you experience it very constantly it is important that You go to the doctor.

Now you know what a Déjà vu is and why it produces but, in Psychology-Online, we also want to discover another type of alternative explanations that have been given to these reactions of the mind. Because it is a "strange" and unusual sensation, many have been the people who have wanted to link these events with paranormal phenomena.

However, as we have indicated, there is a scientific explanation that explains why we have Déjà vu. But we believe important collect some of the beliefs What is there in relation to this curious fact of the human mind.

The theory of the parallel universe

Some people associate experiencing Déjà vu with the existence of Parallel universes. In fact, physicist Michio Kaku argued that there is a possibility that this fact is caused because the human brain it has the ability to be present in various universes.

In these cases, brain waves are compared with radio waves and, therefore, it is considered that we can "vibrate in unison" with a parallel universe that is in another frequency of reality.

Memory of our past lives

There are also other more "mystical" theories that relate Déjà Vu to the lives of our spirits or souls. In these cases, it is believed that these experiences do not stop being memories of other lives that our spiritual being has had and, therefore, we are unable to remember them.

There are many other theories about Déjà Vu, such as that they are the product of alien abductions. However, at a scientific level we can only be clear that, in reality, what happens is a brain connection failure. And this makes our mind recreate a new situation as already lived.

However, since there is no 100% reliable evidence on the subject, it is normal that the debate is still open and that scholars continue investigating on the subject. And, in terms of the human mind, we still have a long way to go.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to What is Déjà vu and why does it happen, we recommend that you enter our category of Cognitive psychology.

• Brown, A. (2004). The Dèjá vu experience. England: Psychology Press.
• Cleary, A. M. (2008). Recognition memory, familiarity, and déjà vu experiences. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17 (5), 353-357.
• Ratliff, E. (2006). Déjà vu, again and again. New York Times Magazine, 2, 38-43.