Why do we experience déjà vu, and what causes this phenomenon?

We experience déjà vu when our brain thinks it has seen something before, even though it hasn’t, like when you walk into a room and suddenly feel like you’ve been there a million times.

Imagine you have two walkie-talkies. One is in your head, and the other is in your memory. Normally, they work together, your brain sends signals to your memory, and everything matches up nicely.

But sometimes, the signal from your brain gets sent a little late to your memory. By the time your memory receives it, you’ve already seen the thing or place, so it thinks, “Wait, I just saw that! That’s familiar!”, and déjà vu happens!

It’s like hearing a song you know after you've already heard the first few notes. Your brain goes, “Oh, I’ve heard this before!” even though it just started.

Sometimes, your memory gets confused because it's trying to keep up with everything you see and do, and that's why déjà vu feels so strange but also kind of fun!