80 Baffling Instances Where Logic As We Know It Didn’t Seem To Make Sense

Déjà vu is one of those instances in which our brains cannot fully comprehend what is happening. It’s that feeling that you’ve already seen or experienced something, bringing a sense of familiarity to something supposedly new. 

But according to Dr. Akira O'Connor, a senior psychology lecturer at the University of St. Andrews, there is no phenomenon here. It’s simply a case of misplaced feelings. 

“Déjà vu is basically a conflict between the sensation of familiarity and the awareness that the familiarity is incorrect. And it’s the awareness that you're being tricked that makes déjà vu so unique compared to other memory events,” Dr. O’Connor explained to BBC Science Focus. 

Dr. O’Connor clarified that experiencing déjà vu is perfectly normal for a healthy-brained individual. As he noted, misremembering details is a common occurrence because our memories involve “millions and billions of neurons.” 

“For the vast majority of people, experiencing déjà vu is probably a good thing. It's a sign that the fact-checking brain regions are working well, preventing you from misremembering events,” he said.

Another “Glitch in the Matrix” is the Mandela Effect. The concept came into existence in 2009 when a group of people mistakenly thought former South African president Nelson Mandela met his demise in the 1980s in prison. In reality, Mandela passed away in 2013.

According to Verywell Mind, confabulation is one plausible explanation for the Mandela Effect. Simply put, it’s when the brain fills in gaps in memories to make them make more sense, regardless of accuracy. 

The formulation of false memories is the most common explanation for the Mandela Effect. This only proves that our memories, especially when recalled rather than vividly remembered, will more than likely lead to conflicting recollections.