Déjà Vu : The Echo of the Mind
Our bodies create millions of new cells every hour. These are the very building blocks of life and have played a crucial role in our evolution from a mere single celled organism to a complex, food chain topping member of the Hominidae family called homo sapiens. This mitosis of cells is imperative in order to keep us pushing the barriers of life and go beyond.
But what happens when they start to rapidly divide and give rise to abnormal new cells in an uncontrolled manner? It leads to a deadly disease that has been plaguing mankind since the beginning of the time, called a Cancer. For every 6 deaths, one of them is caused due to cancer. That’s more than AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria combined. Around 10 million people succumb to it every year, making it the second highest cause of human deaths (just after mosquitoes).
Now the title of this blog may throw you off, for it seems to have little to no relevance to the last couple lines you’ve read, but bear with me, for a minute.
Now, as I sat in my room, amidst purple and blue lights, the melodies of tame impala emanating from the speaker, a quite unnerving feeling washed over me. It was that eerie feeling of pseudo- familiarity, a sense that I had been here before, researching about cancer in these very soothing surroundings. It was subtly but firmly telling me that I have experienced this very situation before, I did not know when, I did not know how. A feeling that felt so right yet simultaneously unsettling. I was indeed experiencing something called Deja vu.
Suddenly all I could think of was how strange yet humane this phenomenon was and cancer and it’s malignant effects seemed to have taken the back seat as I grew determined to unravel this peculiar mystery or die trying.
What is Déjà Vu
Déjà vu (pronounced as day-zhaa voo), originates from the French phrase “already seen.” It characterizes the intriguing and unusual sensation of experiencing something that seems highly familiar, even though you are aware that this sense of recognition should not be as intense as it appears.
The prevalence of déjà vu experiences likely falls within a range of 30% (approximately 8 out of 30 individuals) to 100% (every individual in a group of 30) . However, pinpointing the precise percentage remains uncertain. Firstly, since it is impractical to survey the entire global population, we rely on data collected from surveys conducted with small sample groups. This introduces a challenge because survey outcomes can vary considerably depending on the demographics of those surveyed.
It’s like if your teacher asked your whole class whether they had ever had déjà vu, you might raise your hand too just because everyone else was doing it, even if you were not sure. There is not anything wrong with this — it is a very normal way to respond to questions but the accuracy of the data takes a hit.
Most people report déjà vu somewhere between every few weeks and every few months. Typically, this means that déjà vu is not very common so if you have experienced it recently you are very lucky (apparently Olivia Rodrigo isn’t the only one that knows about it ).
Young people experience déjà vu the most. A very limited number of individuals claim to have encountered their initial déjà vu episode as early as age 6. A larger proportion of people recall their first déjà vu encounters occurring before they reached the age of 10. Between the ages of 15 and 25, it is likely that déjà vu experiences occur more frequently than they do later in life. The frequency of reported déjà vu episodes gradually diminishes after the age of 25.
Déjà vu may actually be one sign of a healthy mind that is able to spot familiarity signals that are incorrect. Perhaps what is happening in people over the age of 25 is that they get worse at spotting incorrect familiarity signals and they actually start believing them.
The research aspect
Research on déjà vu can be categorized into two primary domains: observational investigations and experimental inquiries. In observational studies, researchers analyze various aspects of the déjà vu phenomenon, such as its prevalence among individuals, frequency of occurrences, timing of events, and more. They then seek to identify patterns and connections within the data. Conversely, experimental studies involve researchers attempting to induce déjà vu experience in individuals. This can be achieved through unconventional methods, such as the peculiar practice of squirting warm water into people’s ears. The underlying
rationale behind many experimental studies is the quest to uncover the triggers of déjà vu. By understanding the causative factors, researchers hope to gain deeper insights into the cognitive processes that underlie this intriguing phenomenon.
Interpretations
There are multiple theories, proposed by many researchers and scientists in attempt to explain this unique phenomenon.
• One theory states that Deja vu is associated with false memories, i.e, memories that seem real but are not. This would be similar feeling to not being able differentiate between events that occurred in real life versus dreams.
• Another theory attempts to elucidate Deja vu through a delayed neurological response The brain accepts incoming information through both its left and right hemispheres, sometimes when there’s a delay during transmission in either of the hemispheres, the information is not synchronised properly between the two and could lead to the sudden sense of familiarity since a partial piece of the stimulus had already been processed.
Deja Vu in ancient legends was usually interpreted as a sign from the universe that you are exactly where you need to be in life. On the other hand during medieval times there were cases of people being accused of mental illnesses and witchcraft and tried for the same.
The intriguing aspect of unresolved mysteries lies in their openness to interpretation. There is room for various perspectives, and no one can definitively assert otherwise due to the absence of concrete evidence. You are free to consider even the most unconventional explanations, and while they may not necessarily be correct, they certainly are not considered incorrect (at least until proven otherwise). So, when it comes to déjà vu, do you view it as a cosmic sign, a quirk of your cerebral cortex, or perhaps something entirely beyond the grasp of other minds?
Honestly, for all we know, we could all be stuck in a simulation and Deja vu could be just a glitch in the matrix.
