Frank Festa
Some think of a mediocre mid-2000’s Denzel Washington movie, others of a track of Beyonce’s second album, but most identify Déjà vu as one of the weirdest feelings in the world. When you’re in the midst of something and you think to yourself, “Hey, this seems familiar” and then, as the moment progresses, you think, “Wait, this is really familiar. Woah.” Whether you’re reliving a conversation or revisiting a place, plenty of people can recount instances of that feeling of uncertain certainty. In fact, as much as 70 percent of the population has reported experiencing Déjà vu at least once in their life.
As first reported on MSN (watch the video here), scientists at the University of Saint Andrews in the UK have developed a new theory after identifying a way to trigger Déjà vu in volunteers. In short, they’ve posited that the frontal lobes of the brain, when facing situations new or old, search other parts of the brain for memories. They believe that when something seems familiar and we have no record of the instance actually happening, the frontal lobe goes ahead and connects the dots between what’s actually unfolding and other memories we’ve stored in our brain, creating that weird feeling of familiarity.
Déjà vu is just one of the many ways our minds play tricks on us. Check out the video below for a few more.