Why Do We Experience Déjà Vu, and What Does It Mean?

     Hello! Have you ever found yourself in something that seemed familiar to you? It seems familiar! You get the unsettling feeling that makes you wonder, "Wait, I've seen this before." However, what really is going on in your brain? Even though you could think you're connecting with a supernatural force, déjà vu is more of a psychological trick than a real phenomenon.

Is it a brain glitch?

Déjà vu occurs when the brain momentarily gets confused and thinks that a current experience is a memory. Some experts believe it happens because your brain is processing two pieces of information at once – one part of the brain is processing the moment in real-time, while another part registers it as a memory. This “cross-wiring” makes you feel like you’re reliving a moment even though you’ve never been there before.

Our Memory at Play

Another possibility is that your brain is attempting to identify patterns from previous experiences. If you've visited a location that is comparable to your current circumstances, for instance, your brain may draw on those earlier memories to give you a strange feeling of familiarity. In an attempt to make sense of the environment, your brain is wired to connect dots, and occasionally it overcompensates by creating connections that aren't actually there!

What Does It Mean?

 Most scientists believe that déjà vu is only an interesting abnormality of our memory system, but other people may read it as an indication of something more serious, such as a past life or a future vision. It might also indicate that your brain is doing a good job of differentiating between experiences from the past and the present. Relatively speaking, déjà vu is more common in younger people and becomes less common with age, suggesting that it may possibly have something to do with how quickly our brains create new memories.

Next time you experience déjà vu, don’t be freaked out. Embrace the moment as your brain flexing its memory muscles! How often do you experience déjà vu? Let me know if you’ve ever had any funny or weird déjà vu stories!