If when you start reading this text you feel that you have already lived it, or that you have already read it before, it will not be because we have copied from other writers on the Internet or from our own website, but because you are probably living a deja vu, a phenomenon of the mind that consists of feeling that a new situation, such as arriving in a new city or meeting a person, is the repetition of something that has already happened. All of us at some point have felt invaded by this curious sensation. But What few know is that there is a phenomenon that is considered the antithesis of the popular déjà vu. Today in Supercurioso we will talk to you about the meaning of Jamais Vu. Can you come with us?
Chris Moulina British psychologist, conducted in 2006 an experiment similar to this children’s game, although magnified: He asked 92 volunteers to write the word door 30 times in the space of one minute and then gave them a short questionnaire. At least 60 participants felt that the word lost meaning and that they could not associate it with the object “gate”. They had experienced a jamais vu.
2. Why does the phenomenon of the “never seen” occur?
The curiosities of memory make us navigate through a universe of which there are still many things to discover. As the deja vu, the jamais vu It could be considered as an error of perception of our mind, which can occur due to a kind of tiredness or fatigue in the face of a repetitive event.
When we experience it, what happens is a gap between the neural circuits, which momentarily distorts the understanding of the environment around us. According to Dr. Fredric Neuman, a specialist at the Phobias and Anxiety Center at White Plains Hospital in New York, the fact that a person experiences the Jamais Vu phenomenon is usually associated with States of anxietymoderate to deep.
If you think about it, and it’s not repeated a lot, this has a terrible connotation: it means that our mind can get tired of the repeated vision of our loved ones. Or we can see it from an optimistic perspective: it means that we can hear a word like when we were children, or see the loved face as if it were the first time.
According to some hypotheses of diverse psychological and psychiatric currents, the meaning of Jamais Vu is often associated and compared to short-term memory loss. However, and although their symptoms are expressed in a similar way, both concepts have important differences.
Other possible causes of Jamais Vu
Although the fact of experiencing a Jamais Vu may perfectly be an isolated sensation and not associated with any other pathology, the reality is that It is very common for people with neurological conditions such as epilepsy, chronic headaches or head injuries to experience this phenomenon. It can also happen that it is generated by suffering from vestibular conditions, such as labyrinthitis or vestibular neuronitis, which interfere with the way in which the brain processes information.
Other aspects are also added that can contribute to the fact of feeling a Jamais Vu. Lack of sleep, anxiety disorders, disorders, personality limits or mental conditions that involve depersonalization, can promote the appearance of this sensation. The same happens with the consumption of hallucinogenic drugs, cannabinoids or even nicotine.
3. What is the difference between a Jamais Vu and memory loss?
The curiosities of the human brain are truly infinite and the Jamais Vu phenomenon is proof of this. It is a fairly rare event, ten times less common than déjà vu. Generally, it is associated with short-term memory loss, due to the similarity in the way it is manifested. However, both experiences have considerable differences.
Jamais Vu happens to the person suddenly and for no reason. You can be talking to a friend or family member and from one moment to another forget all the information you have registered about that person. But that returns to normal after a few seconds or minutes. Memory loss, on the other hand, usually has physiological causes such as trauma or shock.
Another important difference between the meaning of Jamais Vu and that of memory loss is that with the latter, the person can forget any element, situation or person from their past or present life. But when experiencing a Jamais Vu, oblivion only focuses on the here and now. The sensation is of visually recognizing the person, thing or situation, but feeling that the brain is disconnected from receiving this information, that it does not have the capacity to connect it with any previous knowledge or memory.
4. Other similar phenomena
Surely the meaning of Jamais Vu has taken you by surprise. Generally, we only have close references to déjà vu, which almost all of us have experienced at least once. But in addition to these two particular sensations, there are other phenomena in which the brain lets us see its mysteries. One of them, which you have surely lived without knowing how to recognize it, is the Presque Vu. Its translation means almost seen. It is a phenomenon in which you feel that you have something on the tip of your tongue. You feel that you want to remember something, that you are about to do it, but the memory does not appear.
Another phenomenon of this nature is Déjà senti. Its translation means already felt. It implies for the person who experiences it, the feeling that something is close or familiar, but that they cannot link it to any specific memory.
And you, Did you know the meaning of Jamais Vu? Have you ever experienced it? Leave us your opinions in a comment. We will be looking forward to reading you! And if you want to continue learning about the fascinating workings of the human mind, don’t miss our article on the percentage of the brain that we actually use.