Week Two: Digging Deeper and Having an Open Mind

Countless theories exist to explain deja vu,
and extensive research will hopefully reveal
some common ground shared by each theory
in order to validate various perspectives. This way,
an attempted explanation for the phenomenon
can be made with an open mind.

    Since Blog #1, my perspective on the deja vu phenomenon has definitely become more open-minded. I began this research with the idea that parallel universes must be the cause of false-recognitions, but after doing some research, I’ve found viable evidence for many other causes such as a past life, paranormal contact, psychological disorders, recurring dreams, and brain biology. My standpoint has done the opposite of refine—I’ve become much more open to other ideas, which will definitely reduce my own bias as I do further research to get a well-informed point-of-view. 

    While searching through the internet, the most important key words to use were: deja vu, phenomenon, experience, experiment, survey, theories, multiverse, past life, recurring dreams, and parallel universe. Since there are so many theories about deja vu, I began my search with more general articles and journals in order to get an idea of the many theories. This way, I could do more idea-based searches to find scholarly articles to support each theory stated in these general sources, such as the Wikipedia page. Many of the sources from below show extensive evidence for each viewpoint, and a few actually conduct experiments to test their own theories on sample groups for a more-accurate interpretation of the deja vu hypotheses. On the Rutgers Library site, I found a very compelling video from a CBS news story which linked a criminal case to deja vu (CBS Investigation). Another interesting source I found from the library explains how the evolution of the eukaryotic genome may be the source of deja vu, and is full of important graphs and comparisons of data that would be perfect to include in a research paper (Eukaryotic Evolution Theory).

    The controversy between proved science and theoretical science is very prevalent in this topic, as the scientific articles involving brain biology work to debunk theoretical explanations for deja vu, and vice versa. It is almost as if the researchers on both ends are first addressing their opposers in order to sway the opinions of readers, making many objectively scientific reports into argumentative essays. After further research, though, I hope to find some similarities in both sides of the spectrum, allowing for an open interpretation of the phenomenon as it has endless viable explanations. 

    Below is a list of a few journals and credible articles I found during my research, many with differing theories that are to be further investigated.

https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/health-and-wellness/2019/july/deja-vu
-deja vu is a commonly experienced phenomenon resulting from a lagging of the temporal lobe, which processes memory, but can also be the sign of focal seizures in more serious and ongoing cases
-the best ways to reduce deja vu are to get better sleep and to reduce your stress

https://www.karnacbooks.com/product/deja-vu-aberrations-of-cultural-memory/19554/
-author from the University of Minnesota writes to warn readers about the negative impacts of present-day culture, and how it’s technology is impacting our mental processes and may be an alternative source for deja vu
-addresses contemporary media theory

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C39&q=deja+vu+parallel+universes&oq=deja+vu+pa#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3Dw9Qt98xoiUgJ
-deja vu is a reflection of the eleventh dimension in the brain
-explains deja vu based on the membrane theory

https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=1dtEDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA13&dq=info:2glHHf7Iv0QJ:scholar.google.com/&ots=LQRcOdbjCR&sig=U4DTifXHfFXTvJe39MDp0zkFTZw#v=onepage&q&f=false
-addresses many theories for deja vu (scientific, paranormal, parallel universes)
-seemingly unbiased information

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C39&q=deja+vu+parallel+universes&oq=deja+vu+pa#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3DxS77RsNQvHMJ
-uses string theory to explain the significance of the presumption that the multi-universe theory is the main cause behind deja vu
-uses physics to give scientific proof of the multiverse

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C39&q=deja+vu+paranormal&oq=deja+vu+pa#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3DDBWjybsuZ9kJ
-poses the theory that deja vu may be caused by psychological disorders
-does medicating frequent experiences lower their chances of experiencing the phenomenon?

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C39&q=deja+vu+past+life&oq=deja+vu+p#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3D48MgXzHPp9UJ
-another open-minded report on deja vu meant to investigate many theories 
-gives relationships between theories and may possibly provide substantial information for all theories (supplemental info)

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C39&q=deja+vu+past+life&oq=deja+vu+p#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3DY5gTkGnaxlIJ
-scientific experiment comparing people who believe they’ve lived a past life to those who do not. test studies how many false-recognition experiences occurred in each sample group and compares data.
-do people experience more deja vu because they have convinced themselves they had lived a past life?
-is deja vu an occurrence caused by your own mental bias?

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Arthur_Funkhouser/publication/45360059_The_frequency_of_deja_vu_deja_reve_and_the_effects_of_age_dream_recall_frequency_and_personality_factors/links/0deec51e064eee23b9000000/The-frequency-of-deja-vu-deja-reve-and-the-effects-of-age-dream-recall-frequency-and-personality-factors.pdf
-experimental survey of psychology students in Germany
-studies dream reoccurrences, a form of deja vu