Just as a night club magician uses sleight of hand to fool his audience, our brains play mischievous tricks on us—no top hat or wand required. The magic word is not “abracadabra,” or “alakazam,” ...

We’ve all felt it at some point or another—the eerie feeling of familiarity during an experience that’s actually happening for the first time. This strange phenomenon, known as “déjà vu,” has eluded ...

Have you ever had the sense that you’ve done something or gone through a new situation before? Does it seem like you know what’s going to happen next? That feeling is often described as déjà vu, which ...

It’s odd, isn’t it? That wistful sense of having been somewhere before, yet knowing full well that this is your first visit. Déjà vu is familiar to virtually all of us, but what exactly is it? Share ...

Editor’s note: Anne Cleary, a professor in the Department of Psychology at Colorado State University, authored this piece for The Conversation in October 2022. Colorado State is a contributing ...

As many people know, a bout of déjà vu can be a disorienting experience, like a momentary hiccup that distorts reality. Perhaps a friend says something and you suddenly feel like you’ve had this exact ...

A few days ago, I was visiting a new coffee shop in an unfamiliar neighborhood. In line to place my order, a polite stranger in front turned around, nodded at me, and said, "Hello." In that otherwise ...

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Starting in the late 1800s, many theories began ...