Jamais vu: when the familiar becomes strangely unfamiliar

That’s jamais vu—the unsettling antithesis of déjà vu, the well-known mental phenomenon where something unfamiliar feels eerily familiar. The term jamais vu comes from French and literally means “never seen”. It’s a psychological phenomenon where something familiar—a word, a person, a place—suddenly seems inexplicably unknown, even though we know rationally that we’ve encountered it before. Some researchers define it as a memory disorder characterised by the illusion that something well-known is being experienced for the first time. Jamais vu is less common than déjà vu, but far from rare. It can be triggered by repetitive situations or automatic actions that confuse the brain. In one study, 92 volunteers wrote the word door repeatedly for 60 seconds: 68% reported sensations of jamais vu, such as doubting that door was a real word. In another experiment using the word the, 55% experienced the same symptoms after about 27 repetitions. But what exactly is happening in the brain? Several researchers believe it is caused by a temporary disconnect between the brain areas responsible for recognition and memory. A brief “misalignment” between the temporal lobe—responsible for processing familiarity—and the hippocampus may trigger this sensation of unfamiliarity. Some experts suggest that stress, fatigue, sleep deprivation, or imbalances in neurotransmitters (such as dopamine and serotonin) could be contributing factors. Jamais vu offers a fascinating window into the workings of the human mind, helping us better understand memory, attention, and cognitive phenomena. You can even try it yourself with a simple experiment. Choose a very common word—something that refers to an object (like house or water), a person (a name or role, such as sister), or an animal (cat, fish). Repeat it aloud continuously. Eventually, you’ll notice the word loses its meaning and becomes just a hollow sound. That’s jamais vu in action!