deja vu definition and information?

Question

for a definition essay on deja vu...also if you know history, cultural stuff, or anything else about it thanks...

Answer 1

term "déjà vu" (IPA:/deʒa vy/) (French for "already seen", also called paramnesia) describes the experience of feeling that one has witnessed or experienced a new situation previously. The term was coined by a French psychic researcher, Émile Boirac (1851–1917) in his book L'Avenir des sciences psychiques (The Future of Psychic Sciences), which expanded upon an essay he wrote while an undergraduate French concentrator at the University of Chicago. The experience of déjà vu is usually accompanied by a compelling sense of familiarity, and also a sense of "eerieness", "strangeness", or "weirdness". The "previous" experience is most frequently attributed to a dream, although in some cases there is a firm sense that the experience "genuinely happened" in the past. Déjà vu has been described as "Remembering the future."

The experience of déjà vu seems to be very common; in formal studies 70% or more of the population report having experienced it at least once. References to the experience of déjà vu are also found in literature of the past, indicating it is not a new phenomenon. It has been extremely difficult to invoke the déjà vu experience in laboratory settings, therefore making it a subject of few empirical studies. Recently, researchers have found ways to recreate this sensation using "hypnosis".[1]

Answer 2

Deja vu is the sense that you've done something or seen something before; most of the time, this is usually the result of a past life, where you've encountered or done the same thing you're currently getting the sensation of deja vu about (... if you believe in reincarnation, that is). As to its history, I don't really know, but I'm sure the words meaning is rooted somewhere in Latin or Greek. And I'm sure you can guess that it's a worldwide occurrence, and is probably known by other names. This is what I know.

Answer 3

Deja vu is merely a psychological phenomena. It is the effect of sensory stimulation registering on the subconcious mind an instant before registering on the concious mind. This causes the illusion that one is `remembering` a previous experience. There is nothing paranormal about it.

Answer 4

Try:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deja_vu

Answer 5

I feel like I've been here and seen this question before!