Déjà vu revisited...

Today I was not in my office for most of the day, in fact I reached my office only at 3pm, so I had to rush a bit of work. The main reason for my absence was a feedback session held at the Science Park branch of my company for all the IA students to give ideas on how the IA programme can be improved. The programme actually ended at about 1:30pm, but we took a bus back (to save $$), which, unfortunately, did not stop in front of our office. So, I had to walk in the rain (yes it was raining again) all the way back to my office. Seems like I've got a great affinity for rain lately...

Ok, back to the article. More than a month ago I posted an article on déjà vu. Well, here's a continuation of sorts. Actually its more of an in-depth explanation of the theories researchers have put forward to explain déjà vu, and there are quite a few. The problem is that the brain is such a complex organ that we haven't even begun to understand how it works.

The most popular theory now is that delayed neurological transmission is responsible. Basically, this theory states that déjà vu is the result of a split second delay between the signals travelling into the processing centres, kind of like how a computer program gives weird outputs if the hardware isn't connected properly.

Another theory is claims that déjà vu is a result of insufficient attention. In this case, the supposed cause of déjà vu is the result of the person seeing something, but not noticing it at that point in time (eg. when you see something through your peripheral vision). But this image is subconsicously recorded in your mind, so when you see a similar image later (possibly when you actually focus on the object), you get a sense of déjà vu.

Well, there are a couple of other theories mentioned inside the article, so if you are interested to know more you can read up. One interesting point that was mentioned was that déjà vu experiences tend to occur when a person is tired or stressed. So, if you are having déjà vu frequently, it could mean that it's time to take a nap. ;)

You're driving down the bustling main street of a picturesque little town you have never visited before. The traffic light turns red, you stop, and an old lady steps into the crosswalk from the left. All of a sudden you are overcome with a feeling that you have been here before--in the same car, at the same crosswalk, with the same woman stepping off the curb in the same way. Yet by the time she reaches your front bumper, you realize the scene no longer matches quite so well with what you thought you were recalling. And you do know you have not been here previously. The familiarity is broken.

Various studies indicate that 50 to 90 percent of us can recall having had at least one such déjà vu incident in our lives. We experience a vague sense of having encountered a situation before, identical in every detail, even though we can't say when the first event took place. Usually the sensation lasts only a few seconds. Teens and young adults stumble on the dreamlike state more often than older adults, yet people of all ages experience déjà vu, especially when they are either fatigued or overly aware because of stress. A few people sense the inverse of déjà vu, called jamais vu. When they encounter a familiar person or place, they nonetheless insist they have never seen the individual or scene before.

Click here for the full article.