Déjà Vu
The What, Why, Who, When, and Where
Preface
Dear Reader...
Have you ever experienced déjà vu? Do you know why it happens? It seems so mysterious. It is hard to explain and difficult to study even for the most brilliant scientists. However, I am here to help you uncover these mysteries that you may possess. This multi-genre project is here to guide you and explain the what, why, who, when, and where of déjà vu.
What
For example, say that you are traveling to France for the first time. You are visiting a fancy restaurant, and suddenly it seems as if you have been in that very spot before. This is the mysterious sense of déjà vu.
Why
There are many theories to why déjà vu happens. These are the most common and supported theories. However, more research must be done.
For example, you might see a building while talking on a cell phone, and not notice it, After you get off your phone, you give the building a second glance with full awareness and attention. You might not remember the first glance, but your brain has registered it subliminally, so the second glance may seem very familiar, although you wouldn't know why it seems so familiar.
Rhinal Cortices vs Hippocampus: Electrical simulation of the rhinal neural system, involved in the detection of familiarity, occurs without activation of the memory recollection system within the hippocampus, which is in charge of storing memories. This leads to the feeling of familiarity without specific details.
Configuration of Objects: Humans are not so good at retrieving a memory just based on the configuration of objects. If you enter a place that has some unfamiliar objects, but they are set up similarly to a situation you have experienced before, you will get a feeling of knowing, but you won't actually retrieve any specific memory for the place.
For example, let's say that you are visiting your friend's house for the first time. Suddenly, you get a strong sensation of familiarity, although you don't know why. The truth is, your friend's couch, television, and piano are placed in the exact same location, but you won't be able to recognize why it seems so familiar.
Temporal-Lobe Epilepsy: People with this medical condition can receive déjà vu right before a temporal-lobe seizure due to neurological bursts of electronic signals in the temporal lobe, which is in charge of memory.
Configuration of Objects Example
(Expand image) As you can see, the configuration of objects in these two rooms are very similar, creating a sense of familiarity.
Configuration of Objects Example
(Expand image) The configuration of objects in these rooms are also similar, creating a sense of déjà vu.
Temporal Lobe
The temporal lobe is located in the core of the brain. This lobe is in charge of memory storage. The temporal lobe contains the rhinal cortices and the hippo-campus.
Who
When
Déjà vu occurs during periods of stress and fatigue and it tends to occur late in the day, usually in the afternoon or evening, and late in the week.
Where
Déjà vu usually occurs in ordinary, everyday settings.
Elements
Poem
Oddly Familiar
It seems so close, yet so far
So familiar, yet so bizarre
Visible, but incomprehensible
Apparent, but inconceivable
Like a dream, a vague memory,
Like young love, an esoteric beauty
Like the universe, so mysterious and far-flung,
Like a word, on the tip of your tongue
Its numerous divisions and degrees,
Its numerous reasons and theories
From double perception and quick succession,
To epilepsy and neurological defection
Even with sufficient technology
Even with sufficient biology
Its investigation requires more inspection
Its abstraction requires more contemplation
What is it, do you have a clue?
It’s simple, it’s déjà vu.
Literary Essay
Visual
Plaque
These two rooms can create a sense of déjà vu, an overwhelming sensation that an event or experience happening at the current moment has been experienced in the past, whether it has actually happened or not.
Say that the first picture is a photo of your room at your house and the second picture is a photo of a hotel room you are staying at during a vacation. For some reason, you feel like you have been at the exact same hotel room, even if this was your first time at this hotel. However, there is a reason why you are feeling this strange sense of déjà vu. Both of these rooms have a similar arrangement of furniture and other objects. There is a bed placed in the corner of a room. There is a bookstand with tissues and an alarm clock beside the bed. Next to the bookstand is a chair. There is even a sweatshirt placed on the corners of each bed. But what do these two rooms have to do with déjà vu?
Studies show that humans are not good at recalling a memory just based on the configuration of objects. For example, if you enter a place that has unfamiliar objects, but they are set up similarly to a scene you have seen before, you will get a strong feeling of familiarity, but your brain won't recognize or retrieve any specific memory for the place. This is one of the most common theories for the causes of Deja Vu. These two rooms act as an example for this theory of déjà vu because even though these two rooms are completely different, it is the arrangement of the objects which create a familiar sense of déjà vu.
Research Connection (Poem)
The poem also introduces the contradiction and paradox of déjà vu, and how it is "characterized by the cognitive dissonance between the feeling of re-experiencing a given situation, and the simultaneous awareness of its impossibility." (Blom, 133) This contradiction is seen in the poem in the first four lines of the description of déjà vu. For example, the poem claims that déjà vu "seems so close, yet so far" and "so familiar, yet so bizarre." (Lee, 1)
The poem also briefly addresses some of the different theories to déjà vu, which include double perception and succession of settings, and epilepsy and its neurological defections that go with it.
Lastly, the poem discusses how "there is more investigation to be done," (What Is Déjà Vu?, 1) for the complex phenomenon of déjà vu, as seen near the end of the poem: "Its investigation requires more inspection, Its abstraction requires more contemplation." (Lee, 1)
Research Connection (Literary Essay)
In the story, the main character decides to call Joseph, his friend. While the main character was distracted as he was calling his friend on the phone, he passed by a donut shop. A few hours later, the main character drove back home, passing the same donut shop, this time with full awareness. The character suddenly felt like he had seen the donut shop before, even if he didn't recognize the name or place of the donut shop.
In this particular story, the main character peripherally sees the donut shop while he was distracted by his phone call with Joseph. In other words, he wasn't paying attention, but his brain subliminally registered the donut shop. The same character later sees the donut shop again later in the story, with undivided attention. Consequently, "it was almost as if I [main character] had been here even though I [he] knew I [he] hadn’t. (Lee, 1)
Research Connection (Visual)
In this visual, there are two rooms that have similar arrangements in terms of space and placement of objects. The bed, the book stand and everything on it (tissue box and alarm clock), chair, and even the sweatshirt is placed in the exact same place. If the first photo is your own room, and the second photo is a hotel room that you stayed in, you would get a strong feeling of familiarity between the two settings but you wouldn't know why because humans "are not so good at retrieving a memory based just on the configuration of objects." (Markman, 1)