Why Do We Feel Like We’ve Been Here Before?

We sometimes feel like we've been here before because our brain is trying to make sense of something new by remembering something old.

Imagine you're playing with your favorite toy, let's say it's a red ball. You see the ball, you touch it, and you know exactly what it feels like. Now imagine you're in a room that looks kind of like the one you played in yesterday, but not exactly the same. Your brain says, "This is familiar!" even though it's not completely the same.

That feeling, when something seems almost familiar, is called déjà vu. It’s like your brain saw a hint of something old and thought, "Wait... did I see this before?"

Your brain has a part that helps you remember things, we'll call it the memory helper. Sometimes, when you're in a new place or doing something new, your memory helper gets confused and thinks it's seeing something old.

It’s like when you wear a hat you haven’t worn in months, and suddenly you feel like you've been wearing that hat all along, even though it’s brand new!