• Question: Is it possible that De'ja vu is the process of seeing the imminent future in our dreams? And if so, how is that possible?

    Asked by cn555 to Arttu, Ceri, James_M, Monica, Philip on 17 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by vithushan04.
    • Photo: James M Monk

      James M Monk answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      I don’t know what causes deja vu, but it is extremely unlikely to be a premonition. The suggestion that it is possible to see the future is an extraordinary claim, and it would require an extraordinary level of experimental evidence for me to believe it were true.

      I think deja vu happens more often when you are tired or when you are travelling. It seems more reasonable to think that the brain is seeking familiarity in a stressful situation.

    • Photo: Arttu Rajantie

      Arttu Rajantie answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      I am not an expert on this, but based on my knowledge of physics I would say that your brain cannot the future. However, perhaps different parts of your brain are slightly out of sync. So one part of the brain has already processed the event and therefore there is already a record of it in your memory by the time the other part learns about it.

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