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The first type of déjà vu is the most common type and is experienced by the everyday healthy person. However the second type is more specialised to problems in the brain and is believed to occur in a person just before having a seizure. Despite fine-tuning the types of déjà vu, we are still inclined to ask the question: what exactly causes this phenomenon to happen? The main difficulty with finding the cause of déjà vu is that it is almost impossible to prove. Typically, the ‘déjà vu sensation’ lasts for only 10 to 30 seconds, which is too short a time to do an MRI scan on the brain. As a result of this, there is an abundance of different theories about the true nature of this biological mystery - over 40, in fact. From philosophers to psychologists to paranormal experts, it seems that everyone has given their take on this scientific or even supernatural occurrence.
Is it a matter of time? It seems that theoretical physicists have taken the concept of déjà vu under their wing, as they relate it to concepts such as quantum mechanics. Quantum physics allows us to call time as we know it into question, and theorise the idea that time does not just flow forward in one direction but instead repeats or even flows in both directions. As humans, it is thought that we usually don’t notice this… until we do. Supposedly déjà vu represents a brief moment in which the direction of time becomes clear to us. We become aware of the forward and backward flow of time and we realise that we have in fact experienced something in this time and place before. Other theories involve the idea that there are two separate timelines in which we exist and the coincidental synchronisation of these timelines results in an eerie feeling now called déjà vu.
Is it memory? Other scientists such as neurologists have placed déjà vu firmly in the study of memory. In short, they believe that déjà vu is likely due to a problem of memory caused by misfiring neurons in the brain that link longterm memory with real time experiences. Recently, researchers at St Andrew’s University have studied déjà vu and concluded that it may be the brain’s way of double-checking memories, which they have named ‘conflict resolution’.
Is it superstition?
Some choose to ignore scientific theories and claim that déjà vu is a spiritual and supernatural experience. Parapsychologists have put their own spin on déjà vu, believing that it serves as a message about our ‘past lives’. What they mean by this is that déjà vu is a paranormal event that recalls past events that your higher self or soul is using to guide you on the right path to success. Some use déjà vu as their own moral compass and even base large and often life-changing decisions on this potentially supernatural event.
Is it just wishful thinking? Possibly, in a more logical light: is the whole concept of déjà vu just wishful thinking that we can predict the future? Have we turned a coincidence into a belief of our own ‘superpowers’, such as precognition or even prophecy? Some think that we are just dressing up an insignificant mistake in our brain, a biological tick that can be ignored without another moment’s thought. However, human nature cannot accept this; we as a species are too curious, too speculative and perhaps too hopeful about our own capabilities.
Is it dangerous? More recently, studies have created the new term ‘chronic déjà vu’. It is based on the diagnosis of four elderly British citizens who are said to experience déjà vu in a constant state. Some refuse to watch the news for fear that they already know what will be said, while others, more dangerously, reject going to the doctor due to the feeling that they have already been before and so don’t see the point. It is possible that we have been looking at déjà vu through rose-tinted glasses; instead of adding to the vast quantity of theories, should we be more focused on solving the problems caused by déjà vu?
Interestingly, déjà vu is a feeling that is more likely to occur in certain people than in others. Whilst about 60% of people have experienced it, déjà vu is more likely to occur in people between the ages of 15 and 25. Most researchers also agree that déjà vu decreases with age. Furthermore, there have been positive correlations between people with higher incomes, those who travel more, those who have been through higher education and those who are more politically liberal with those who experience déjà vu more often. A case study in 2001 found that the combination of two drugs used to treat the flu (amantadine and phenylpropanolamine) also increases the likelihood of déjà vu.
The abundance of theories can seem quite daunting and overwhelming, especially as many are left unproven or with an unstable verification or explanation. Déjà vu is a highly subjective concept and may mean something different to each and every person who experiences it. Perhaps the importance of déjà vu is not finding the ultimate proven theory, but instead questioning our concept of time and space as we know it and revelling in one of biology’s most fascinating mysteries. WHO KNOWS, MAYBE YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOU’VE READ THIS ARTICLE BEFORE…
WW2
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IMPRINT 2020
Nearly 20% of students are boarders and pupils can hear the bombing of London from school. Girls are encouraged to help the war effort, through fire-watching and helping at local hospitals.
