Author Topic: deja vu  (Read 1530 times)

  • Offline neXus

  • Posts: 8,746
  • Hero Member
deja vu
on: January 02, 2012, 11:22:22 AM
What do you think it is?

  • Offline neXus

  • Posts: 8,746
  • Hero Member
Re: deja vu
Reply #1 on: January 02, 2012, 11:43:40 AM
One strong theory in basic terms is that your Neural pathways get a bit messed up storing your current visualisation into memory and also recalls that memory at the same time and thus assuming you are/have done/witnessed the same event before.
The problems with that is the simultaneous nature of the memory store and fetch, it has to run in the milliseconds since people often get this effect during the event itself and not after.

Another Theory is that one eye records information fractionally slower then other eye by design. Many tests have indeed indicated this to be the case. Reasons the body and brain does this cover creating an almost check of what you say as verification and for the brain to correctly map the information it receives from the eyes. Camera's have this for example in a basic processing form.
The theory has similar elements as the above in which the initial information is mistakenly treated as a memory rather then the current event. The problems with this theory are that no one can explain why this would occur, it also does not cover the fact people experience taste and smell during these events.

It could be these factors and more, the brain incorrectly assumes this new information is an old memory and then being as complex and clever as a brain is, it compares similar smells, tastes, and visuals from previous memories to form a feeling that the event has already occurred. This could explain why you can very remember when you experienced the event before, its always hazy.
Drugs have often been found to increase this effect and lead to some form of explanation for some of the above but also draws many more questions.

As a total random and non accurate theory I used to think was something was that time is not a constant and forever forward element. Their of lots of things to do with time travel and how time and space works.
Time as a rubberband.
I saw something on tests on Monkeys and the neo and moter corex of the brain. Your brain appears and in many cases has to predict what is going to occur. With a combination of experience and knowledge when  you say touch a keyboard the brain already knows what "Should" occur. You press a key your brain already knows what it should feel like, what it should do and what will happen next. You could not type really fast if your brain was not already knowing what goes on.
But tests show it is more then just guess work - neuronal delay activity correlates with the subjective estimate of time. Time seems to move slower when your in a major event, say your in an accident and time seems to move slowly, and sometimes it feels like it is moving faster. The way the neuronal delay occurs between the signals passing and processing effects how your brain perceives time.
So again could explain some of the things above but what if it is more then this?
What if time actually works that way, if you stretch say a spring it becomes longer but there is a bit of bounce as it does so, what if you did experience this event already? What if you now and again spring backwards in time and only a vague recollection of those events remain in your neural pathways but enough for certain events to trigger a trapped memory recollection?

It is great to wonder sometimes what if something leads or means much more. Likely totally wrong but it is that kind of thinking that always pushes the human race to discover new things, explore new possibilities and expand our knowledge and understanding of the universe and leads to what the human race invents, creates and discovers.


  • Offline Serious

  • Posts: 14,467
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
Re: deja vu
Reply #2 on: January 02, 2012, 11:55:38 AM
It could just be the brain getting confused a bit.

or it could be something physics has never really contemplated.

It might even be a mixture of the two.

There is quite a bit of verbal evidence of things but some of it is obviously forged or otherwise suspect so I doubt if anyone could actually prove it either way. Many people who claim this have prior information in the form of viewing pictures, video or from visiting places which look similar. By definition you only notice when you are there already. The alternative is precognition which is rather different.

I suspect that most of it at least is people's brains recalling almost lost memories about something and it appearing to be achieved from psychic capabilities. Then again there are some people who seem to really get this sort of thing. As with many other things it's impossible to prove a negative here for every instance.

Providing nobody makes a ton of money from fraudulent claims about it then I don't see a problem in leaving it as a maybe.

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.