Opposite of Deja Vu Is an Even More Bizarre, Spooky Feeling

Weird to think there's actually and opposite experience to déjà vu. You may have even experienced this oddness but you didn't realize it, you just knew something felt bizarrely weird and off. Of course, the first thought is what is it, and the second thought is how do we know we're experiencing this elusive moment.

That strange, spooky moment of déjà vu when we're sure we've been in whatever situation we're experiencing before is always bizarre yet kind of fun.

According to Science Alert déjà vu is a window into the workings of our memory system.

Our research found that the phenomenon arises when the part of the brain which detects familiarity de-synchronizes with reality. Déjà vu is the signal which alerts you to this weirdness: it is a type of "fact checking" for the memory system.

According to Science Alert, jamais vu is when something, someone, or a feeling is super familiar to us but at that moment feels unreal yet surreal, bizarre, and makes no sense yet you know it's fact.

It's much rarer than déjà vu so when it occurs it feels even spookier and more unsettling. An example is hearing or writing a word that you know very well however it sounds or looks wrong.

Jamais vu may involve looking at a familiar face and finding it suddenly unusual or unknown. You may have had it going to a familiar place and becoming disorientated or seeing it with "new eyes".

Jamais vu is French for 'never seen' while  déjà vu is French for 'already seen.'