
Instant Genius Podcast: The extraordinary psychology of déjà vu, with Dr Akira O'Connor
Why experiencing this strange memory illusion is a sign of a healthy brain (and not a glitch in the matrix).
Instant Genius is a bite-sized masterclass in podcast form. And in this episode we're delving into the surprising neuroscience of déjà vu.
Sorry if we’ve already asked, but do you know what causes déjà vu? Or why you experience it less as you get older? Just in case you're unsure, we got the answers from Dr Akira O’Connor, senior psychology lecturer at the University of St Andrews.
In this episode, he talks us through the bizarre neuroscience of déjà vu, from what makes you more prone to it, to how you can easily create an artificial sense of déjà vu in somebody else.
Find Instant Genius on your preferred podcast platform here: instantgenius.podlink.to/Podcast
Listen to more episodes of Instant Genius:
- Instant Genius Podcast: Winter storms, with Alex Deakin
- The science of lying, with Professor Richard Wiseman
- Fungal infections, with Dr Rebecca Drummond
- How to get more time in your day, with Dr Ashley Whillans
- The world’s ticking demographic time bomb, with Prof Jane Falkingham
- The science of persuasion, with Prof Vanessa Bohns
Authors

Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.
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