What Your Brain Is Telling You When You Experience Deja Vu

If you've ever had déjà vu — that feeling that what you're currently doing has already happened — then you know it can feel like being in the twilight zone. However, there are things your brain is trying to tell you when you experience déjà vu. While déjà vu can make you feel like you've known someone, or been somewhere, in a past life, it might be all in your head, according to science. This actually makes me feel kind of bummed, because I like the idea of past lives. Scientific American reported that small seizures in the brain responsible for memory formation and retrieval could be the reason something suddenly feels familiar despite your having never experienced it before.

"With déjà vu, a brief synaptic misfiring might occur in these areas, creating the illusion that the event has occurred before," Alan Brown, professor in the department of psychology at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, told Scientific American. These mini seizures are nothing to worry about, and Psychology Today noted that up to 70 percent of people report experiencing déjà vu, which is French for "already seen." If you're one of them, there might be some things your brain is trying to tell you when you're experiencing déjà vu. Continue reading.

Originally posted on Bustle.

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