Monday, February 1, 2010
Déjà vu
I've always been fascinated with the sensation of déjà vu and feel as if I regularly experience it. The thing is, I've never thought to research it until now. According to a few articles i found, including the one above ( from psychologytoday.com), déjà vu is one of the many subjects in psychology that few care to take interest in because of how difficult it is to explain. There has been little research about the topic, but only because it has been impossible thus far to recreate it on demand. Apparently there are several theories out there trying to clarify the mysterious but recognizable feeling that comes with déjà vu. Not one seems more right than any other so to say. It's all still up for judgment. Take a look at the article and see which theory you think best fits and remind yourself of it whenever you feel déjà vu hitting you. It's quite interesting (especially the little bullet points at the end of the article. I never would have guessed).
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I'm also very fascinated by this topic. The article's multiple theories or explanations on the subject are definitely not what I had expected. The "dual processing" theory, which allocates the cause to two cognitive processes being out of sync, especially, makes it sound like a slip in consciousness or proper brain function- which explains why the article lists stress or fatigue as possible causes. I have always thought that deja vu was either something routine that I had seen before or something from a dream- which is supported by the second theory "that deja vu occurs when a memory we've consciously forgotten (whether from real life, a book, a film or even a dream) connects with part of our present experience." The third theory" Our brain quickly takes in a scene without our noticing, " also seems very likely. Personally, I can relate to the latter two theories the most, and do agree that I had deja vu more often when I was younger. As for it being caused by stress, fatigue, or an overactive imagination, however, I'm not too sure as I don't think I've ever experienced it under those circumstances. It does raise the question, however, if those factors can result in the "slip" that is deja vu, what other slips can occur with our cognitive processes? To me, deja vu, the feeling that I dreamt in real life, seems like the reverse of another topic I find highly interesting: lucid dreaming (dreams where you become aware you are dreaming but can continue to dream). But I guess if our brain's doing the "reverse" of something it does while we sleep while we're awake, then maybe sleep is the answer...
To learn more, see (not an article but an info site):http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html
Sorry the link did not come out right with my earlier post. Here's another try;
Info on Lucid Dreaming
I was also interested in the situation of Déjà vu since it occurred to me several times. It's always been something mysterious and sometimes comes with anxiety. My brain works faster and start to think what comes next in the situation.
In the article, I've looked at few theories. The second theory tells us, Déjà vu occurs when a memory we've consciously forgotten connects with our present experience. It is the most well-known theory that people used to think or heard about.
- reminds me of what I've dreamt and felt like I've experienced it before....
I personally think second and last theories are readily comprehensible. They make sense to me.
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