A glitch in the Matrix?

Think you’ve read this article already? Shail Bhatt explores the possible science behind déjà vu.

We’ve all been through it: we find ourselves in situations thinking that we’ve already experienced them. “Haven’t we had this conversation before?” Déjà vu, or ‘already seen’ in French, is when certain things, be it the sound, the sight, the smell, or the feel of something, lead us to believe that we’ve already experienced the event before. The causes of déjà vu are still not yet fully understood, and over forty explanatory theories have been proposed, ranging from memory dysfunction to parallel universes.

There are two types of déjà vu: associative and biological. Associative déjà vu occurs in healthy individuals, and is the classic feeling of having experienced something based on the associations we make with a previous sensation. It’s interesting to note that people between the ages of 15-25 and those who can recall their dreams are the most likely to report these déjà vu events. They are also more frequently seen amongst those who are better educated and have higher incomes. The other type, biological déjà vu, occurs in individuals with epilepsy, who often feel a strong sense of déjà vu before experiencing a seizure. Since associative déjà vu happens randomly and is affected by individual experiences, it is often difficult to characterize and probe. However, biological déjà vu has allowed scientists to dive deeper into the enigmatic origins of this phenomenon. 

There are many different proposed explanations for déjà vu. The ‘cell phone theory’ claims that we often take in information subconsciously, when we are distracted or not paying attention. Then, when are faced with a similar situation, our brain tries to associate the subliminally recorded information with the surroundings. Another potential explanation is the hologram theory, where our brain takes in a small piece of information, like the smell of petrol at a gas station, and tries to reconstruct an entire ‘hologram’ of our memory where the same smell is stored. A malfunction in our neural circuitry may also be a cause, whereby information can directly be incorporated into our long-term memory so that when we experience something, we actually think it’s from sometime in the past. The most viable theory currently is the memory-mismatch theory, where déjà vu is a sign of the brain looking through memories to see if there’s a mismatch between what we experience and what we remember. 

Although some people equate déjà vu and clairvoyance, this is simply not the case. This was demonstrated by an experiment incorporating the computer game, The Sims (that’s right), in which two different locations (in this case a garden and a garage) with similar spatial layout but different items within them were created. When these simulations were run and a walkthrough within these settings generated, more than half of the participants who experienced déjà vu were no more likely to predict the pathway than those who didn’t. 

Of course, there are several wild theories. The parallel universes model suggests that déjà vu occurs when there is a crossover between our current and parallel universes, and that when we experience déjà vu, our parallel universe self is actually experiencing the situation. Another theory states that déjà vu is a momentary glitch in our reality, just like in the movie The Matrix. Believers of this theory think that when we experience déjà vu, we are actually transcending into a higher level of consciousness, where we can live more than one experience at the same time. 

Whether it is our brain making mistakes or checking for them, it’s clear that we as a species are pattern-seeking. So the next time you find yourself thinking that you’re reliving the same experience, maybe it’s not a glitch in the Matrix, but your brain trying to make sense of the information around you.