Distinguishing Deja Vu from Premonitions

The key difference between deja vu and premonitions is that, in déjà vu, you will feel that what is happening now has happened before while in premonitions, you will feel that something bad is going to happen in the future. Déjà vu and premonition are both strong feelings about events that happen in our life. Déjà vu is a strange feeling that in some way you have already experienced what is happening right now while premonition is a strong feeling that something is about to happen, especially something unpleasant.

Key Takeaways

• Déjà vu is a feeling that you have already experienced a current event, while premonitions are feelings about future events, usually unpleasant ones.
• Both déjà vu and premonitions are strong feelings about events in our lives and have no universally accepted explanations.
• Scientists often explain déjà vu as an anomaly of memory, while there is no undisputed theory to explain premonitions.

What is Deja Vu?

Déjà vu is a strange feeling that in some way you have already experienced what is happening right now. In other words, this is an overwhelming sense of familiarity with something that shouldn’t be familiar at all. For example, you are hanging out with your friends, discussing some current topic, but suddenly you get the feeling that you have experienced this before – at the same place, with the same friends and the same topic. Or maybe you are visiting a place for the first time, but feels as if you have been to that place before. It is a common experience that happens to most of us.

The term déjà vu comes from French meaning already seen. There are several theories to explain this phenomenon of déjà vu. Some explain déjà vu as a memory of a dream, a coincidental overlapping of events, precognition, or even a past life experience. However, scientists explain this phenomenon as an anomaly of memory. Also, this has an association with the temporal lobe epilepsy.

What are Premonitions?

Premonition is a strong feeling that something is about to happen, especially something unpleasant. In other words, it is a warning that comes in advance. For example, you suddenly think about a friend you haven’t seen in ages, but a few days later you find out that he has passed away. Or you might be ready to go on a trip with your friends, but you suddenly feel a strong premonition that you should stay at home. Later, you get to know that your friends have met with an accident. Here, you escape the accident because of the premonition you have.  Moreover, premonitions can also come in the form of dreams.

Premonitions are very common phenomena. However, some people are more prone to get premonitions than others. Moreover, premonitions can be very subtle or overwhelming and vivid. Sometimes, a premonition can also go unnoticed. For example, some event in your life will take place, and you will only have a vague recollection that you thought about this recently.

What are the Similarities Between Deja Vu and Premonitions?

Déjà vu and premonition are both strong feelings about events that happen in our life. Also, both have no universally accepted explanations.

What is the Difference Between Deja Vu and Premonitions?

Déjà vu is a strange feeling that in some way you have already experienced what is happening right now while premonition is a strong feeling that something is about to happen, especially something unpleasant. Therefore, this is the key difference between deja vu and premonitions. Furthermore, a notable difference between deja vu and premonitions is that in déjà vu, you will feel that what is happening now has happened before. However, in premonitions, you will feel that something bad is going to happen in the future. Thus, déjà vu is a feeling about something you have already experienced while premonitions are about the future.
Moreover, most scientists explain déjà vu as an anomaly of memory whereas there is no undisputed theory to explain premonitions. So, we can consider this as another difference between deja vu and premonition.

Summary – Deja Vu vs Premonitions

Déjà vu is a strange feeling that in some way you have already experienced what is happening right now while premonition is a strong feeling that something is about to happen, especially something unpleasant. Thus, this is the main difference between deja vu and premonitions.