You visit a park one day and someone nearly hits you while riding his bike. You feel like you've experienced this thing before. This strange feeling is in fact quite common. It's known as" deja vu"(似曾相识).
How can we explain this? In one study, scientists used the video game the Sims(《模拟人生》游戏) to study deja vu. or example, they took the place of the bushes(灌木丛)in the game's garden with cans. When players looked at the garden, they experienced a sense of deja vu, though there weren't any of those low thick plants but cans.
Scientists think deja vu might be explained as a simple failure of memory. We see something that looks similar to something we've seen before, but our brains fail to find the exact memory. However, the brain still knows the similarity.
According to the scientific American survey, more than two thirds of the population experienced deja vu at least once. About a third of people, especially those between the ages of 15 and 25, have experienced this experience more than once. In people's reports, deja vu for the first time appeared between 6 and 10 years old.
Should we be worried when we experience deja vu? As long as it doesn't influence our daily life, researchers think there is no need to worry. In fact, some scientists believe that it might be helpful. They believe deja vu might be caused by the brain changing misplaced memories. This could show that our memories are working well. This also explains why more younger people are possible to experience it, as their brains are still growing.
