We’ve all experienced déjà vu at some point or another. Just last week as I was speaking with one of my friends and could have sworn we had already had that conversation.

They denied it when I asked, maybe they just forgot, but I am 90% sure it was my most recent case of déjà vu.

Simply defined as the feeling that something has happened before, no one can really definitively explain what causes it.

That being said, interesting theories have been proposed for the cause of this phenomenon and one of the most fascinating intercepts with the multiverse idea.

A wild stretch in itself, if proved, it would also ironically provide support to a theory for the cause of déjà vu.

How May Déjà Vu Be Caused?

The current leading theory is that when a situation resembles another similar past situation, our brain simply belives we have already done something.

In other words, a simple trick of the mind.

Scientifically speaking, one side of the brain may receive information slightly before the other on accident. This would mean that one half of your brain would interpret the information as the other receives it.

This would create the effect that something happened twice as the other side of your brain processes the same information.

Some other researchers believe that an electrical malfunction of the brain may occur, causing some memory neurons to fire and the brain mistaking the present for the past.

Regardless of both theories, think of it as a hiccup in the brain. Completely harmless, but creating weird effects on the mind for a millisecond.

Now for the more wild explanations…

Simulation believers think that déjà vu is a glitch in the system, similar to the famous scene portrayed in the Matrix where the machines “changed something”.

As a system-wide reboot occurs, some people may experience the phenomenon as a side effect of the update.

Kind of out there, I know, but interesting nonetheless.

While I believe the scientific explanation is probably the most likely, I recently came across the parallel universe explanation and it was too fascinating not to examine.

So…

How Could Parallel Universes Explain Déjà Vu?

The theory relies on the idea that an infinite number of universes exist alongside us that we can’t view.

An infinite number of you could be strolling around doing different things or the exact same thing, depending on your view of the theory.

Think of a radio. You can only listen to one frequency at once because they operate at different wavelengths and levels. Proponents of this theory believe parallel universes may work the same way.

Vibrating at different frequencies, these universes could be all around us but we do not notice them. However, it is possible that for a certain moment, two frequencies could be “in phase” allowing for universes to interact for a short amount of time.

Supporters of the theory believe that déjà vu may occur when universes are in sync for a short moment. While infinite universes may exist, they have a slight difference that makes them unique.

Maybe you grabbed the soap before the shampoo in one, but not in another. Perhaps you grabbed two chips instead of one. You may have chosen to pour a glass of wine instead of champagne.

Small differences.

However, some believe that when your actions correspond perfectly, shortly after another you in a parallel universe, you may be in sync for a moment.

This results in the universes overlapping and you to feel as if you just did something because in another universe you actually did.

It’s a little far out, I know, but it’s fun to think about and blows the mind a little bit.

However, is there any veracity to it?

Well, obviously the multiverse idea is a stretch in itself. Not as extreme as the simulation theory, but still requires an incredible amount of proof. What makes it so interesting is that, if proved, déjà vu as a byproduct of it would make far more sense.

Additionally, infinite possibilities mean that there are infinite versions of you doing anything imaginable. That includes a universe where you are reading this exact article as well, though maybe written by another author.

If that is assumed to be true, then it would be plausible that every so often, two extremely similar universes would intersect. This would allow for the impression that you had already done something.

Because you have.

As I said, it’s a hard concept to wrap your mind around but it’s so much fun to think about.

I love all these theories because of their complexity and the what-if nature of them.

Regardless, déjà vu is a bizarre phenomenon that is always a head-scratcher. I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to prove what causes it.

So, what do you all think? Do you believe déjà vu is caused by the scientific reasons I listed earlier? Or do you think that there’s a more radical explanation? Tell me your thoughts, I’m curious.