Deja Vu: Its Meaning and Why We Experience It

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Does Déjà Vu Happen?Types of Déjà VuCausesWho Gets Déjà Vu?Should I See a Doctor for Déjà Vu?

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

How Does Déjà Vu Happen?

Types of Déjà Vu

Causes

Who Gets Déjà Vu?

Should I See a Doctor for Déjà Vu?

Close

Déjà vu is a sense of having already seen something you’re currently seeing or experiencing—coupled with knowing you haven’t actually seen it, which is why it catches many people so off guard. It is thought to be the equivalent of a small brain “glitch,” with two streams of thought colliding. The phrase literally translated from French to mean “already seen.”

It is an incredibly common experience; something upwards of 97% of people are thought to have experienced déjà vu at least once, with more than two-thirds of people experiencing it with some regularity.

St. Augustine, an ancient philosopher, first referred to the concept of déjà vu in 400 AD as “false memoriae,” but French philosopher Emile Boirac was the first to use the term déjà vu in 1890. The first use of the phrase in the scientific world was from F.L. Arnaud, a neurologist who proposed to use it at a meeting of theSociete Medico-Psychologique.

Early research showed promise for déjà vu to be a sign that helped doctors diagnose epilepsy,but more recent research has shown it may be a matter of perception ormemory.

It is believed that déjà vu may be the result of two different streams of awareness colliding: the experience of recognizing a current situation, alongside the feeling that this is an inaccurate recollection. A key feature is that the person realizes that they have not actually seen this before.

Sometimes, what happens is really a matter of split perceptionand someone is processing a sight twice because they may have been distracted or their vision was obstructed for some reason.

The second perception, immediately after the first one, becomes the one that is consciously experienced—but it feels unfamiliar because we are not cognizant of the first experience, which we only partially processed.

Though the actual feeling of déjà vu is the same across people withhealthy brainsand those withneurological conditions, different things are happening in the brain during each of these types.

Those who do experience it more regularly show lessgrey matterthan those who don’t.Grey matter is the outermost layer of the brain, and it is responsible for controlling movement, memory, and emotions. Typically, the more grey matter a brain has, the more effective it is.

In those with neurological conditions, three parts of the brain are impacted: thehippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, and temporal neocortex—areas that are associated with forming and retaining memories.

For those with epilepsy and déjà vu, alterations inmemorycircuitry have been observed, meanwhile, alterations in emotional circuitry are seen in “healthy” individuals experiencing déjà vu.Déjà vu is thought to perhaps be abnormal signaling within the medial temporal lobe, which governs memory processing, particularly visual memories.

The conditions that might experience more déjà vu than those with a healthy brain include:

The term déjà vu is the one most frequently used to capture these types of experiences, but there are actually many more of these phenomena.

Some other types you might experience:

There’s also the opposite—jamais vu—which happens when someone has already been in almost the same exact situation but does not realize this.

What Causes the Déjà Vu Feeling?

Though most times, déjà vu is not a sign of anything serious—such as a mental illness—there are some possible factors that you might want to pay attention to if episodes of déjà vu are making you uncomfortable.

Stress and Fatigue

People who are tired and/or stressed often report episodes of déjà vu. This is thought to be because fatigue and stress typically affect both long- and short-term memory.

An Overview of Stress Management

Excess Dopamine

A hypothesis is that excess amounts ofdopaminemay be implicated in experiences of déjà vu. In studies of temporal lobe epilepsy, the research shows that elevated levels of dopamine were detected in rodent models of temporal lobe epilepsy.

One strange case of déjà vu was the use of the flu medications amantadine and Proin (phenylpropanolmine).A man who took this combination of medications to treat an infection of the flu began experiencing several episodes of déjà vu per hour—which stopped upon him discontinuing these medications.

While anyone can experience déjà vu, those who experience it multiple times share some characteristics, according to research:

Epilepsy is the most common of neurological conditions to be associated with déjà vu, as it affects the temporal lobe of yourbrain, where vision is interpreted. There are several types of seizures, but it is simple partial seizures, also known as focal onset aware seizures, that are most often associated with deja vu experiences.

For most healthy individuals, déjà vu has no serious impact, other than a bit of a feeling of confusion momentarily. However, if you are experiencing frequent déjà vu (a few times a week or more), you may want to visit a neurologist to be evaluated for epilepsy or any other neurological conditions.

9 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bošnjak Pašić M, Horvat Velić E, Fotak L, et al.Many faces of déjà vu: A narrative review.Psychiatr Danub. 2018;30(1):21-25. doi:10.24869/psyd.2018.21Vlasov PN, Chervyakov AV, Gnezditskii VV.Déjà vu phenomenon-related EEG pattern. Case report.Epilepsy Behav Case Rep. 2013;1:136-141. doi:10.1016/j.ebcr.2013.08.001Illman NA, Butler CR, Souchay C, Moulin CJA.Déjà experiences in temporal lobe epilepsy.Epilepsy Res Treat. 2012;2012:539567. doi:10.1155/2012/539567Brown AS, Marsh EJ.Digging into déjà vu: Recent research on possible mechanisms.Psychology of Learning and Motivation. 2010;53:33-62. doi:10.1016/S0079-7421(10)53002-0Brázdil M, Mareček R, Urbánek T, et al.Unveiling the mystery of déjà vu: The structural anatomy of déjà vu.Cortex. 2012;48(9):1240-1243. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2012.03.004Cleveland Clinic.Deja vu: What it is, when it may be cause for concern.Penn Medicine.Feel like you’ve been here before? It might be déjà vu.Taiminen T, Jääskeläinen SK.Intense and recurrent déjà vu experiences related to amantadine and phenylpropanolamine in a healthy male.Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. 2001;8(5):460-462. doi:10.1054/jocn.2000.0810Brown AS.The déjà vu illusion.Current Directions in Psychological Science. 2004;13(6):256-259. doi:10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.00320.x

9 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bošnjak Pašić M, Horvat Velić E, Fotak L, et al.Many faces of déjà vu: A narrative review.Psychiatr Danub. 2018;30(1):21-25. doi:10.24869/psyd.2018.21Vlasov PN, Chervyakov AV, Gnezditskii VV.Déjà vu phenomenon-related EEG pattern. Case report.Epilepsy Behav Case Rep. 2013;1:136-141. doi:10.1016/j.ebcr.2013.08.001Illman NA, Butler CR, Souchay C, Moulin CJA.Déjà experiences in temporal lobe epilepsy.Epilepsy Res Treat. 2012;2012:539567. doi:10.1155/2012/539567Brown AS, Marsh EJ.Digging into déjà vu: Recent research on possible mechanisms.Psychology of Learning and Motivation. 2010;53:33-62. doi:10.1016/S0079-7421(10)53002-0Brázdil M, Mareček R, Urbánek T, et al.Unveiling the mystery of déjà vu: The structural anatomy of déjà vu.Cortex. 2012;48(9):1240-1243. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2012.03.004Cleveland Clinic.Deja vu: What it is, when it may be cause for concern.Penn Medicine.Feel like you’ve been here before? It might be déjà vu.Taiminen T, Jääskeläinen SK.Intense and recurrent déjà vu experiences related to amantadine and phenylpropanolamine in a healthy male.Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. 2001;8(5):460-462. doi:10.1054/jocn.2000.0810Brown AS.The déjà vu illusion.Current Directions in Psychological Science. 2004;13(6):256-259. doi:10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.00320.x

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Bošnjak Pašić M, Horvat Velić E, Fotak L, et al.Many faces of déjà vu: A narrative review.Psychiatr Danub. 2018;30(1):21-25. doi:10.24869/psyd.2018.21Vlasov PN, Chervyakov AV, Gnezditskii VV.Déjà vu phenomenon-related EEG pattern. Case report.Epilepsy Behav Case Rep. 2013;1:136-141. doi:10.1016/j.ebcr.2013.08.001Illman NA, Butler CR, Souchay C, Moulin CJA.Déjà experiences in temporal lobe epilepsy.Epilepsy Res Treat. 2012;2012:539567. doi:10.1155/2012/539567Brown AS, Marsh EJ.Digging into déjà vu: Recent research on possible mechanisms.Psychology of Learning and Motivation. 2010;53:33-62. doi:10.1016/S0079-7421(10)53002-0Brázdil M, Mareček R, Urbánek T, et al.Unveiling the mystery of déjà vu: The structural anatomy of déjà vu.Cortex. 2012;48(9):1240-1243. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2012.03.004Cleveland Clinic.Deja vu: What it is, when it may be cause for concern.Penn Medicine.Feel like you’ve been here before? It might be déjà vu.Taiminen T, Jääskeläinen SK.Intense and recurrent déjà vu experiences related to amantadine and phenylpropanolamine in a healthy male.Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. 2001;8(5):460-462. doi:10.1054/jocn.2000.0810Brown AS.The déjà vu illusion.Current Directions in Psychological Science. 2004;13(6):256-259. doi:10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.00320.x

Bošnjak Pašić M, Horvat Velić E, Fotak L, et al.Many faces of déjà vu: A narrative review.Psychiatr Danub. 2018;30(1):21-25. doi:10.24869/psyd.2018.21

Vlasov PN, Chervyakov AV, Gnezditskii VV.Déjà vu phenomenon-related EEG pattern. Case report.Epilepsy Behav Case Rep. 2013;1:136-141. doi:10.1016/j.ebcr.2013.08.001

Illman NA, Butler CR, Souchay C, Moulin CJA.Déjà experiences in temporal lobe epilepsy.Epilepsy Res Treat. 2012;2012:539567. doi:10.1155/2012/539567

Brown AS, Marsh EJ.Digging into déjà vu: Recent research on possible mechanisms.Psychology of Learning and Motivation. 2010;53:33-62. doi:10.1016/S0079-7421(10)53002-0

Brázdil M, Mareček R, Urbánek T, et al.Unveiling the mystery of déjà vu: The structural anatomy of déjà vu.Cortex. 2012;48(9):1240-1243. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2012.03.004

Cleveland Clinic.Deja vu: What it is, when it may be cause for concern.

Penn Medicine.Feel like you’ve been here before? It might be déjà vu.

Taiminen T, Jääskeläinen SK.Intense and recurrent déjà vu experiences related to amantadine and phenylpropanolamine in a healthy male.Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. 2001;8(5):460-462. doi:10.1054/jocn.2000.0810

Brown AS.The déjà vu illusion.Current Directions in Psychological Science. 2004;13(6):256-259. doi:10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.00320.x

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