by Jennifer Otero
Daily Lobo
If you remember reading this before, maybe it's just your mind playing tricks on you, or maybe it's dÇjÖ vu.
UNM psychology professor Peder Johnson said the phenomenon of dÇjÖ vu cries out for an explanation, but he doesn't know if anyone really understands what causes it.
Christina Martinez, a biology major, said she experiences dÇjÖ vu quite often, but only around other people.
"When I have dÇjÖ vu, it's like a feeling of confusion," she said. "I feel and think, 'Whoa, I have been right here in this exact spot at the exact time, with this or these exact people.'"
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Janel Goodman, a UNM psychology graduate, researched the phenomenon last year. She said it is most commonly defined as the feeling of having experienced a particular scene or situation before.
Because of a distinct feeling of inappropriateness caused by a lack of context, dÇjÖ vu is set apart from hallucination and false memories.
"Because of that feeling, it is hard to elicit in a lab," she said.
She said there are three types of dÇjÖ vu. The first is the most common and the type experienced at least once by about two-thirds of the population. It is sudden and seems unconnected to anything else.
Goodman said the other two types, the sleeping state and the waking state, are predictions of future events.
The sleeping state of dÇj† vu is more common, occurring in about 80 percent in those that reported experiencing these types of the phenomena.
"It is described as when someone has a dream and then later feels they are seeing the scene from that dream in their waking life," Goodman said.
The waking state is reported 20 percent of the time. Goodman compared this state to daydreams that then occur later in real life.
She said in all three types, the scene is usually about mundane and seemingly insignificant daily occurrences.
Goodman said there hasn't been much scientific work on dÇjÖ vu, and the work that has been done has not determined its cause.
In her study, Goodman tried to explore possible directions to study to find the causes of the phenomenon.
Studies have shown men report experiencing dÇjÖ vu as often as women. Some have found it is more likely to occur in younger people, people with more education, those who have traveled more and those with higher paying jobs.
Goodman said dÇjÖ vu involves several factors, such as the intensity of the experience and how much anxiety it can cause, making it more complex than a simple brain-function abnormality.
Justin Stewart, a linguistics major, said dÇjÖ vu is an odd phenomena.
"We are always struck with the echo of the future into our present," he said. "Sometimes I just don't understand why it is there. Maybe it is a leftover intuition or instinct from our ancestors. It leaves much to be answered."
