From the desk of Miss Know-All: Understanding deja vu...

(Published on 10 October 2006 in 'Women at Work' - W @ W - a supplement of the Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

My reputation as a Miss Know All is gaining speed for I now have total strangers come up to me and ask the weirdest of questions. Don’t mistake me for an agony aunt pretties… for I’m not here to hear you moan and solve your problems. I’m here to impart knowledge to the ignorant. From technical hitches to marital glitches – we the Miss Know Alls have an answer to everything.

Have you ever visited a park for the first time and felt that there was something strangely familiar about it? Or maybe you're in conversation with somebody and you suddenly get the feeling that you've had the exact conversation before. If you've ever experienced such situations, then you've experienced déjà vu. It can be triggered by sight, sound, taste or even smell. An admirer came over and asked me to explain what déjà vu is…

Déjà vu is a French term that literally means "already seen." It is described as the feeling that you've seen or experienced something before when you know you haven't. Defining types of déjà vu is very difficult. Déjà vu is extremely difficult to study because it occurs briefly, without any notice, only in certain people, and has no witnesses or physical manifestations. Because of this, there is little research and no explanations. Studies depend on personal descriptions. While about 60 percent of people say they have experienced déjà vu, the rates are highest among younger people. Researchers believe that déjà vu experiences decrease with age. There have also been higher reported occurrences among people with active imaginations.

Taking a very broad look at the research and resources available, we can put déjà vu experiences into two categories:

Associative déjà vu: The most common type of déjà vu experienced by normal people is associative in nature. You see, hear, smell or otherwise experience something that stirs a feeling that you associate with something you've seen, heard, smelled or experienced before. Many researchers think that this type of déjà vu is a memory-based experience and assume that the brain is responsible for it.

Biological déjà vu: Déjà vu also occurs among people suffering with epilepsy, psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression and schizophrenia. Just before having a seizure they often experience a strong feeling of déjà vu. Researchers have been able to identify the areas of the brain where these types of déjà vu signals originate. The person experiencing déjà vu may truly believe they've been through the exact situation before, rather than getting a feeling that quickly passes.

The mind is truly a strange organ for it can play games. I like what Elihu Burritt has said about the mind: “Our minds are like certain vehicles, when they have little to carry they make much noise, but when heavily loaded they run quietly.”

Ever wondered how the scarecrow knew that he didn't have a brain?

Miss Know-All
wow@dailymirror.wnl.lk