Déjà Vu: Why Does it Feel Like I Have Lived This Before?
- Stella Teixeira
- Dec 2
- 2 min read
Have you ever walked into a room, or been in a situation that you feel you have already experienced? Science calls this sensation Déjà vu, and it might be more common than you think. According to the doctor Drauzio Varella, more than 70% of people have, or will experience Déjà vu at least once in their lives. The term Déjà vu in french means "already seen”, which is science, describes one of the most fascinating mysteries of the human mind, with no one until now knowing exactly why and how it happens. Some believe it is a simple human-brain trick, while others theorise that they are memories from past lives, or different perspectives of our memory storage. Déjà vu is the defining line between what he has lived, and what we feel we have one lived.
Although many have different theories and explanations on why and how Déjà vu's happen, scientists have come up with a theory that they happen because of a small error when the brain is going to process information. The neuroscientist Fabiono Abreu explains that when we see something, our brains compare that moment with already stored memories in the hippocampus and temporal lobe. But sometimes, what happens is that the brain activates this process too early, making the brain think it is a memory that has already happened, when actually it is something very recent. It is almost as if your brain is playing a specific moment twice, which for us, makes us think we have already lived it.
Even though this is the most accepted theory by scientists, there are variations of that theory. Some scientists believe it happens due to double processing, which is when two cognitive processes become out of sync for quick seconds. This makes the brain think that a moment is both familiar and a long lost memory. Others think it is caused by distraction fatigue or stress which makes the brain have a difficult time recording things clearly.
Outside the science world, people have theorised to explain this human brain mystery. Many people believe it shows moments of our past lives, making us feel like they are familiar because we have lived them before, Others believe that they are connected to dreams we have had, the conclusion that we dream of moments before then happen, making a dream feel like a memory. Some even think that a Déjà vu is a cloth in the simulation we live in. None of these ideas are proven, but they show how amazing Déjà vu are, making people question their own lives.
Experts say that Déjà vu's are harmless to people, especially to children and teenagers. However, it is necessary to pay attention when they happen too often, because they can escalate to seizures and extreme confusion, which signal issues linked to the temporal lobe, a part of the brain that takes care of language and memories. Excess stress can make Déjà vu episode more frequent, being a sign of our bodies to rest and relax for a moment
Déjà vu is a quiet and complex reminder of how complex and mysterious our own brains are, even making us questions ur own time, reality and memory, showing how much there is still to learn about our own selves
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