Science is on verge of understanding déjà vu
Science is on verge of understanding déjà vu
There's a reason for that been-there-done-that feeling.
By Michael D'Estries, Mother Nature Network, March 2 2018
Why do we experience déjà vu? Science is getting closer to understanding this strange phenomenon. (Photo: beeboys/Shutterstock)
You're walking down a street in some foreign town, taking in the sights and smells, when suddenly it washes over you: a bizarre, but familiar sensation that somehow you've done this all before. In some cases, the experience is so strong that you can almost feel what's about to happen next.
It's estimated that more than 70 percent of us experience some form of déjà vu — a French word meaning "already seen." It's a puzzling phenomenon that's been blamed on everything from parallel universes temporarily coming together to your "future self" attempting to guide you in life . Or, as Keanu Reeves' character learned in "The Matrix," it's all just a computer glitch.
Science, however, has a different take on this familiar feeling, and research around the world is narrowing down the possibilities. CNN published an overview in 2016 , with journalist Sandee LaMotte interviewing experts and highlighting studies on déjà vu. One interesting detail is that people aged 15 to 25 tend to have the most occurrences of déjà vu. Since our brains aren't fully formed until the quarter-century mark, those growing pains may have something to do with it.
Another interesting aspect: Déjà vu is more closely associated with those who watch a lot of movies and tend to travel. What may feel, look or sound familiar, despite physically being our first encounter, may align closely with a deeply buried memory from a previous experience.
"Memory is far from perfect. We simply fail to recall everything that we encounter in day-to-day life," déjà vu researcher Anne Cleary , a professor of cognitive psychology at Colorado State University, explained to LaMotte. "However, just because something fails to be recalled doesn't mean that the memory isn't still 'in there' somewhere; often it is, and it is just failing to be accessed. These types of memories might be what drive the sense of familiarity that presumably underlies déjà vu."
Research has also associated the phenomenon with temporal-lobe epilepsy . Patients with this condition often experience déjà vu symptoms right before experiencing a seizure. These abnormal electrical discharges may also occur in everyone else, especially people in their teens and twenties, but on a smaller scale.
Can déjà vu predict the future?
Déjà vu is most likely a memory phenomenon, according to Cleary, but she has received feedback from people who disagree. Their déjà vu is not merely a memory, they argue, because it also sparks a feeling that they know what will happen next.
Cleary found a study from the 1950s that also mentioned this sense of premonition from déjà vu, so she decided to investigate further. In earlier research, she and her colleagues had already triggered déjà vu in people using virtual-reality scenes they built in The Sims, a life-simulation video game. Study participants were shown a scene, then later saw a thematically unrelated scene that was spatially mapped to match the first one. The spatial similarities made them more likely to report déjà vu.
For her new study, published in March 2018 , Cleary expanded this approach to test déjà vu's predictive abilities. Participants first watched video scenes in which they moved through a series of turns, then watched thematically different scenes that were spatially mapped to the previous ones. Just before the second video reached its final turn, participants were asked if they were experiencing déjà vu, and whether they felt like they knew what the last turn should be.
About half of the respondents did report a strong premonition associated with déjà vu. But they were no more likely to produce the correct answer — the turn they had seen earlier in the spatially similar scene — than if they had just chosen randomly. This suggests déjà vu can't really help us predict the future, Cleary says in a statement about the study, although it can create a convincing sense of premonition. She is now conducting follow-up experiments in hopes of revealing what causes this.
"I think the reason people come up with psychic theories about déjà vu is that they are these mysterious, subjective experiences," Cleary says. "Even scientists who don't believe in past lives have whispered to me, 'Do you have an explanation for why I have this?' People look for explanations in different places. If you're a scientist, you're looking for the logical reason for why you just had this really weird experience."
Why do we experience déjà vu?
In a 2016 study, researchers in the U.K. triggered déjà vu by encouraging false memories in the minds of the study participants. When they looked at the functional MRI scans, they found it wasn't the parts of their brains related to memory, but instead the part related to decision-making that lit up while they were experiencing déjà vu. This suggests we're sifting through our memories, seeing if there's some kind of error, New Scientist reports .
Another possible culprit? Stress and anxiety. In 2014, scientists published the terrifying case of a 23-year-old man who has suffered from "chronic déjà vu" for the past eight years. The sensation was so crippling that nearly everything the man did came with an overpowering feeling of familiarity.
"There was one instance where he went to get a haircut. As he walked in, he got a feeling of déjà vu. Then he had déjà vu of the déjà vu," Dr Chris Moulin, a cognitive neuropsychologist at the University of Bourgogne, told the BBC . "He couldn't think of anything else."
Brain scans turned up normal, leading the researchers to believe the problem was psychological. Because the young man had a history of depression and anxiety (something which tended to exacerbate the symptoms), the possibility exists that there may be some association.
"Although this report does not prove a link between anxiety and déjà vu, it does further support the suggestion that this area is worthy of further investigation," the researchers concluded.
This story was originally published in January 2016 and has been updated with new information.
There are two YouTube videos in this article that I cannot open or post. To see them, go to the original article by clicking this link:
https://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/blogs/science-verge-understanding-deja-vu
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What movie have I posted recently on Classic Cinema group that would make you think of deja vu?
Can't anyone guess? Well, maybe that's because nobody bothers to look at the Classic Cinema articles.
I do, but since I don't watch the same movies you do, I'll get it wrong anyway.
Besides, I always thought deja vu was all in my head
I have the strangest feeling I've read that before...
I felt the same way when I read your comment!
What's teh answer?
I missed this one
Science is on verge of understanding déjà vu
Nothing new here.-- we've seen it all before!
I think I heard that before.
Yes.
In fact I remember hearing that before on several occasions!
I don't have the time right now to get back on this, maybe just a little later so I left this to tag it.
When you come back to it, you can say you saw it before.
Haha good one. This phenomenon has happened to me several times now. Usually comes as a dream the night before, for instance in a dream it was about a car with the driver side front wheel buried to the rim, a smoking tire, and chainsaw cutting large pieces of firewood next to a car, no worry just a dream right, later in the day my father calls and needs assistance he is stuck in his yard, so I go to pull the car out and find he has buried all four tires, not quite the dream, but I pull it out easily, well it was a stuck car but not quite. My wife called later and wanted me home right away my son needed help, I go home and here is his car in the yard with the front drivers side tire buried to the rim in the yard and he has the car backed almost against a log, the only way to pull him is backwards, so I take the chainsaw and cut the log into firewood, at this point I am commenting to my wife and son that this is very similar to my dream the night before, I setup to pull him with my pickup, the tow strap lined me up with a branch on the ground and my rear tire spun on it and caused the water on the tire to steam like smoke, so I rehooked shorter and pulled him out. Deja vu, coincidence, or premonition? This has happened several times about different things and I thought is it just me or do others have this experience also.
My question about it happening to others was answered last fall, I'm part of a group of guys that drive the trucks to move a business operation from one location to another, one of the guys wasn't as talkative as usual and another asked what was wrong, so he related the fight he had with his wife before leaving to drive with us, he had woke up to his wife slamming cupboard doors in the kitchen he asked what's wrong, she came back with "Who's Mary", he said I don't know any Mary, "Then why were you talking about her in your sleep?", he said there is no Mary and what did I say anyways? "You said 'No Mary, let it go'". He decided it was going to be a losing argument because he said it during a dream he couldn't remember, so he got ready to go. As he was leaving his wife said "I suppose you're going to see Mary now aren't you?", and he came back with "For the last time 'There's no Mary, let it go" slammed the door and left. It didn't hit me till later that his dream was a premonition of the fight he was going to have with his wife. Strange, right?
There are different psychic phenomena that have different names. (Most people don't believe any of this is real-- until they experience it themselves..if they ever do).
And particular types of different psychic phenomena occur much more frequently with some people than with others.
The phenomenon of having a premonition of something and then actually having it occur later is called "precognition".
Scientists still don't understand much about this, but it is real. (And these abilities can be taught-- years ago I taught a 5 session course where the major part of one session was how to develop one's psychic abilities. And I myself took a course with a professional psychic-- the entire course was on how to develop your psychic abilities.).
Hahahaha!!!!
One thing I would suggest is to try and remember your dreams just as a mental note, no matter how insane they may seem to be, and just see if something happens that is similar or uncannily match what the dream was either the next day or even later. It could even be like a dream that I sat down to a table and there was a Chinese calendar place mat in front of me, happened when we had to make an unscheduled trip that day to pickup parts for a machine down customer that came in earlier the same day, my wife and son accompanied me, we stopped at the mall I asked where they wanted to eat lunch and they said the Chinese Buffet so I sit down and there is the Chinese place mat, wasn't til I sat down did I realize I had a dream of that and if anything had played out any differently I wouldn't have been there and I wouldn't have had that dream in the first place, paradox. Like the driver I described above, if his wife didn't hear him in his sleep of if he didn't talk in his sleep the fight wouldn't have happened and therefore he wouldn't have had the dream to cause the fight in the first place, paradox, also my question of others having the same thing happen to them wouldn't have been answered.
Diana Krall - Where or When
Where or When
When you're awake the things you think
Come from the dream you dream
Thought has wings, and lots of things
Are seldom what they seem
Sometimes you think you've lived before
All that you live today
Things you do come back to you
As though they knew the way
Oh the tricks your mind can play
It seems we stood and talked like this, before
We looked at each other in the same way then
But I can't remember where or when
The clothes you are wearing are the clothes you wore
The smile you are smiling you were smiling then
But I can't remember where or when
Some things that happened for the first time
Seem to be happening again
And so it seems that we have met before
And laughed before, and loved before
But who knows where or when.
Interesting. Thanks.
Very cool article Buzz. I happen to be one of those people that gets a lot of déjà vu.
On a similar theme, when I was in college I partook in a med experiment about esp using a special kind of Zener card, where each card also had an opposite card. In normal people, most will get about 20% right. I was racking up 0%. They were floored. Then they realized that what was happening is that I actually had 100% negative intuitiveness, which means I will always guess the opposite way. What does this mean?
Well, it seems (if you believe in this), that I have total ESP, but in order for me to be right, I have to truly think I am wrong. I know that sounds nuts, but it happens to me all the time. Like when I think, "Oh I will never hear from that person again', and without a second thought, the phone rings or they get me on facebook, etc. People now refer to this as a form of intuition... IDK.. but it's totally useless, since i have to truly think the opposite is true.
It means you're dyslexic.
Did you hear about the dyslexic communist? He went around with a sign that said
World workers untie!
Your chains have nothing to loose but you...???
in college I partook in a med experiment about esp using a special kind of Zener card, where each card also had an opposite card I didn't know they had a set of Zener cards with opposites.
I have spent much time exploring ESP and similar phenomena. It fact I first became interested in what was then called "ESP" back in High School! I was very into Science back then, not any sort of "New Age" stuff or spirituality. I read about the work of J.B. Rhine at Duke University (his ESP experiments used Zener cards).
I am currently a member of a Meetup Tarot group-- we meet once a month and do Tarot reading of a partner, then switch. During most meetings we get to do readings of 3 (sometimes 4) people, and of course have the same number of people read us.
While many people think Tarot is unique, its really just a form of psychic reading. You can also do psychic readings with Runes, a Crystal ball, and other paraphrenalia. Or you can do dowsing (using a pendulum). Some people even do psychic reading of astrology charts. Some psychics don't use any paraphrenalia-- they just close their eyes and "read" the other person. Some look at the person with eyes open.
Another type of psychic reading is seeing coloured auras (energy fields) around a person and learning what they mean. (Some people are born withthis incredible gift, but anyone can become fairly good if they learn how).
Some people don't believe psychic ability is real-- but it is. A few rare individuals are born with that ability. Everyone has the power to be psychic. but most have to learn how to do it and will never become as those really good psychics who were born with that gift. And then you get good at it the same way you get to Carnegie Hall.
I was actually thinking of buying a set of Zener cards to play with (they sell them on Amazon), but then realized I'd rather just buy another Tarot deck. Zener cards might be good if you want to do scientific tests of psychic ability, but Tarot decks are much better if you want to do psychic readings of other people--or just to meditate on.
P.S: The psychics in store windows (alleged gypsies) often have some psychic ability, but avoid them! They are almost all con artists who are good at conning you to give them largs amounts of money. (And while their psychic ability varies, their ability to con you out of money is usually excellent!). These sort of people give the rest of us a bad name
It is a form of intuition-- its actually a form of psychic power. I not familiar with it manifesting in the negative. However whether its positive or negative, the basis of the though is about hearing from the person again. And you picked up on a "thought" about that person. And specifically, communicating with that person.
There is a name for that type of psychic power-- its technical term is precognition. (One of the most common forms of precognition is having a though about a person (often one you haven't spoken to in a long time) ...and then shortly thereafter the phone rings and it is in fact hat person!
IN fact, I believe that is one of the most common (if not the #! most common) type of psychic experience that adults have if they ever have any. (Another common form of precognition is having a dream that later turns out to be true).
O,S: its trivial, but technically its not a thought-- a form of thinking-- but rather a form of intuiting that come to your consciousness-- but that's a bit of hair-splitting).
Actually in the west the general belief is that opposites are different. In the East (Asia mainly) the prevalent believe is that opposites are in a way the same (!). Just different degrees of the same thing.
For example, we believe that hot and cold are opposites. But as temperature drops from very hot-- at what point is it no longer hot but cold begins? Hot and Cold (in the East) are the same thing-- temperature.
Another less accurate example- love and hate. Some people feel they are similar-- but just different degrees of the same thing.
In the East Cold can't exist without hot (its all comparative-- they feel if cold didn't exist-- than neither can hot). "Opposites"-- Ying and Yaang. But-- each contains some of the other. Difficult for westerners to comprehend...but that's a sort of philosophical discussion, and since TiG's not here now I drop it
.
In your case, in the East, the negative (that person won't call me) is about the same thing as "the person will call me". In a sense not opposites because its all about the same thing-- the person, and whether they will call. (What would be different, for example, is thinking about what you will make for dinner-- and then having someone call you & discussing the weather for example. That's not precognition)
I've seen this article before and commented on it.
Really I did, I think.
Cool article Buzz.
I think I remember that-- I read your comment about a week before you actually posted it-- then when reading it again after you posted it I had this strange memory of myself reading it the first time.
Then about a week later it happened again (and of course I remembered have seen it before... several times in fact!).
A famous quote from Yogi Berra:
Its deja vu all over again.
famous quote from Yogi Berra:
Its deja vu all over again.A
I've heard that quote many times, but just found out what he was referring to:
When it comes to the human mind being able to store every memory of experiences that a person encounters, there has been interesting experimentation carried out for that. At the Montreal Neurological Institute the famous Dr. Wilder Penfield removed part of the skull of a patient who was not put to sleep but only locally anesthetized and he touched parts of the brain with a very low electrical prod - and when he did it the patient indicated that he heard Beethoven's 9th Symphony that he was in the audience for more than a decades previous.
Dr. Penfield was a world-nenowned Canadian neurosurgeon. His reputation was such that once when an important Russian scientist suffered brain damage in a car accident, the Russian government called the Canadian government and requested his services. Dr. Penfield, carrying his most important instruments, and his chief nurse assistant, were immediately picked up and taken to a Canadian Air Force base where he boarded their fastest jet airliner, was flown to Heathrow in London where they were met with and boarded a Russian jet wherein Russian neurosurgeons were already set up with X-rays and photographs to cue Dr. Penfield in with the situation. Unfortunately I don't remember the final result, but the point is that he was considered the best person in the world to help the injured scientist.
From Wikipedia: (bolding of deja vu by me)
As well, there is a whole paragraph about his work concerning deja vu in the Wikipedia article:
I've heard that's true-- everything we've ever experienced is stored in our brain. Some people seem to access it more easily than others-- at least parts of it. And I believe it can sometimes can be accessed via hypnosis (?).
Of course some people can't be hypnotized....
(And then are people who believe in reincarnation-- and that you can access memories from past lives....but that's getting a bit far out
Oh I forgot to mention-- there's also telekinesis. That means using your mind to affect the physical world. For example, moving an object solely by the power of your mind. I used to be skeptical, but I saw a demonstration with my own eyes! It was real-- no trickery involved!
Telekinesis is one of the most difficult of these abilities to develop-- it takes quite a bit of practice over a long period of time. (Some Hindu mystics-- yogis-- can do it).
In fiction and movies, telekinesis is usually connected with persons who need to be exorcised, although I first learned about it by reading science fiction in my early teens.
Some time ago I discovered something really interesting-- the Catholic Church actually performs exorcisms! (That was true then, I don't know if they still do that.) In fact I had a friend that had always been a bit weird. Another friend said (jokingly?) that she might be possessed by demons! I didn't know what to believe, but when I found out about the Church doing exoecisms, I though it might be worth ab shot, lol.
The Church does change some things over times. Back then IIRC, the mass was only in Latin-- now (at least in the U.S.) I believe its in English.
But getting back to the topic & mystical stuff... I found out that at one point the Church believed in reincaration (which I had thought was only a belief in Eastern religions-- its certain a major part of Hinduism).
But long ago some Pope came along and decreed that the Church no longer believed in reincarnation, so that was the end of it.
The Church has always performed them, but an investigation has to be made first either by the archdiocese or the Vatican before the Church can determine if it's an case of demonic possession.
the Church believed in reincaration
I don't believe in re-incarnation-- because of course the soul incarnating a second time would be dedja-vu!
I believe if you're going to do something, you should do it right the first time-- so I only believe in Carnation ( not re-incarnation).
Sorry-- I just realized you might not be able to see that can of Carnation evaporated milk where you are. So you might be able to see this one better:
It's okay Krishna, the problem is with youtube and some other videos, not most pictures, unless they're google pictures. I see all your cans, and raise you with these:
good for pumpkin pies and fudge making
I believe if you're going to do something, you should doit right the first time-
Actually there's a strange anti-deja-vu religious cult that wear this unusual religious garb
LOL