What Is Deja Vu and Why Do We Experience It?

You are walking through a road, and suddenly you feel like you have already been there before – even though you haven’t. And then it’s gone just like that. That feeling is called deja vu. Deja vu reasons are many, it can happen to anyone, people who watch a lot of movies or who travel a lot can experience it. Research says that deja vu is also a symptom of high levels of anxiety. 

What Is Déjà Vu?

Déjà vu is pronounced as day-zhaa voo, a French word called “already seen”. There are two types of déjà vu: the pathological and non-pathological type. Pathological déjà vu usually associates with epilepsy or that which, when unusually associated with other symptoms such as hallucinations, may be an indicator of neurological or psychiatric illness.

The non-pathological type will affect healthy people too and about two-third of the people have had deja vu experiences. People who watch more movies or who travel a lot are more likely to experience déjà vu than others. Furthermore, people also tend to experience déjà vu more in fragile conditions or under high pressure, and research shows that the experience of déjà vu also decreases with age.

What Causes the Feeling of Déjà Vu?

A healthy brain can also experience déjà vu. The feeling may happen to people who travel often and have college or advanced degrees. And it can peak in young adulthood, but gradually go away with age.

People who are more stressed out tend to experience déjà vu more. This is probably because fatigue and stress are connected with what likely causes most cases of déjà vu moments.

What Is Déjà VU a Symptom Of?

Research shows that there may be a link between high levels of anxiety and intensity of déjà vu. And also déjà vu commonly happens before a focal seizure. The symptoms are:

• Loss of muscle control
• Hallucination
• Repeated blinking or grunting
• Rush in emotion