Some researchers estimate that two-thirds of the population has experienced this phenomenon, which also may be accompanied by the conviction that you know what will happen next.Įver since humans were first unnerved by déjà vu, they’ve probably wondered what was behind it. We call this “déjà vu,” a French phrase meaning “already seen,” first used in the early 20th century. You know it’s impossible - there’s no way you could have encountered this person, film or street - yet it all seems so familiar. You’re introduced to someone, you watch a new movie, or you walk down a street in an unfamiliar city, and then suddenly, you’re struck by the uncanny sensation that you’ve been through this all before. Thoka Maer Déjà vu - we all know it when we feel it, but can researchers make it happen in someone else? Psychology professor Anne Cleary figured out a way.
