Have You Ever Experienced Déjà Vu?
Have You Ever Experienced Déjà Vu?
(Hint: You Just Did)
By: Kelsey Sullivan
Why Did I Choose This Topic?
I chose déjà vu for my topic because it fascinated me and I wanted to learn more about why it occurs and if it has any significance. My research can help me learn new information about déjà vu and have interesting facts to explain to my friends whenever they experience déjà vu.
Need a Clue on Déjà Vu?
Déjà vu is the feeling you get when you think you have already experienced the situation you are in. It can be described as feelings of having already been to a place, met a certain person, or completed a specific act.
What's Going On In The Brain?
Because déjà vu occurs to all different types of people and is over so quickly, it is difficult to study and there are many guesses as to why it occurs. Different types of scientists and psychologists have different theories as to why this occurs, ranging from wishful thinking to a mix up in the brain between past and present, and past-life experiences. Studies had found that when the medial temporal lobe was disrupted could cause déjà vu. When the rhinal cortex (which contains structures involved in memory and sensory processing) was stimulated, déjà vu would occur. French researchers found that a déjà vu episode would occur when the neural firing from the rhinal cortex, the hippocampus (involved in memory formation), and amygdala (involved in emotion) were all in sync.
The Perirhinal (red) and Entorhinal (yellow) Cortices
The Perirhinal and Entorhinal Cortices are part of the Rhinal Cortex.
Research and Psychologists
Anne M. Cleary is a psychologist who studied déjà vu. She held experiments that found out what parts of situations could produce feelings of familiarity. She had people study a list of random words. During a word recognition test, some of the words on the test resembled the earlier words in the way they sounded, and the volunteers reported a sense of familiarity for the new words, even when they could not remember what words had reminded them of those words. Other research had found that people would feel feelings of familiarity with situations that looked slightly similar to places they had been before.
Cool Facts!
Déjà vu is French for "already seen".
Some people believe déjà vu is linked to experiences from your past-life.
All different types of people can experience déjà vu, and it is usually a very quick sensation.
Some people believe that déjà vu can be linked to mystical experiences and are very superstitious about it.
Some people believe déjà vu is linked to experiences from your past-life.
All different types of people can experience déjà vu, and it is usually a very quick sensation.
Some people believe that déjà vu can be linked to mystical experiences and are very superstitious about it.
The opposite of déjà vu is called jamais vu, which translates from French to "never seen", and is when you forget something you are very well acquainted to.
"Why Do We Experience Déjà Vu?"
Interesting YouTube video from DNews.
Why Do We Experience Déjà Vu?