What is déjà vu? What is déjà vu? - Michael Molina

什么是”幻觉记忆“？ - Michael Molina

翻译人员: Shuquan Huang 校对人员: Zhiting Chen

Have you experienced déjà vu?

你出现过“幻觉记忆”吗？

It's that shadowy feeling you get when a situation seems familiar.

就是那种当下情形似曾相识的模模糊糊的感觉。

模模糊糊的感觉。

A scene in a restaurant plays out exactly as you remember.

餐馆里的一幕，

跟你记忆中的一模一样。

The world moves like a ballet you've choreographed,

这个世界的运转

就像你编的一场芭蕾舞，

but the sequence can't be based on a past experience

但这一幕绝对不是出自以前的记忆，

because you've never eaten here before.

因为你从来没在这里用过餐。

This is the first time you've had clams,

这是你第一次点了花蛤，

所以究竟发生了什么？

so what's going on?

Unfortunately, there isn't one single explanation for déjà vu.

可惜，对于幻觉记忆没有一个确定的解释。

The experience is brief and occurs without notice,

这样的经历很短暂，

不能事先预知，

所以科学家几乎无法

making it nearly impossible for scientists to record and study it.

记录和学习这一现象。

Scientists can't simply sit around and wait for it to happen to them --

科学家不能只是坐在那儿

等着它发生，

这可能需要好几年。

this could take years.

It has no physical manifestations

幻觉记忆在身体上没有任何显示，

and in studies,

研究中，它被实验对象形容为

it's described by the subject as a sensation or feeling.

一种神经反应或是感情。

Because of this lack of hard evidence,

正由于缺少有力的根据，

there's been a surplus of speculation over the years.

这些年来出现了太多种的推测。

Since Emile Boirac introduced déjà vu

自从Émile Boirac提出”幻觉记忆“以来，

as a French term meaning "already seen,"

（这个法语词的意思是”以前见过“）

more than 40 theories attempt to explain this phenomenon.

有40多种理论都试图

解释这一现象。

Still, recent advancements in neuroimaging and cognitive psychology

最近在神经影像学

和认知心理学上的进展缩窄了

narrow down the field of prospects.

这个领域的研究前景。

Let's walk through three of today's more prevalent theories,

我们来过一遍

现在更为流行的三种理论，

using the same restaurant setting for each.

都用餐厅那个例子作背景。

First up is dual processing.

第一个是双处理理论。

We'll need an action.

首先需要一个行为。

Let's go with a waiter dropping a tray of dishes.

比如说，服务生把一托盘的菜弄掉了。

As the scene unfolds,

这个景象展开的时候，

your brain's hemispheres process a flurry of information:

你大脑的左右半球要处理

涌入的一大堆信息：

the waiter's flailing arms,

服务生挥动的手，

his cry for help,

他求助的叫喊，

the smell of pasta.

面条的香味，

Within milliseconds, this information zips through pathways

这些都在几微秒的时间里，

这些讯息飞快穿过神经路径，

and is processed into a single moment.

被处理为一个单一的时间点的存在。

Most of the time, everything is recorded in-sync.

大多时候，发生的每件事被记录为同步的。

However, this theory asserts

然而，这个双处理理论声称

that déjà vu occurs when there's a slight delay

当其中一条神经路径的信息被延迟时，

in information from one of these pathways.

“幻觉记忆”就会发生。

The difference in arrival times

信息到达的时间差

causes the brain to interpret the late information

导致大脑把迟到的信息理解为

另一个事件。

as a separate event.

When it plays over the already-recorded moment,

当它回放记录好的时刻时，

it feels as if it's happened before

它觉得好像已经发生过了，

because, in a sense, it has.

因为，从某种意义上，这时刻确实发生了。·

Our next theory deals with a confusion of the past

下一个理论讲的是对于过往的混淆，

rather than a mistake in the present.

而不再是对于现时的错误理解。

This is the hologram theory,

这就是全息图理论，

and we'll use that tablecloth to examine it.

我们用桌布的例子来讲讲。

当你目光扫过方格时，

As you scan its squares,

a distant memory swims up from deep within your brain.

一个遥远的记忆

从你脑海深处浮现。

According to the theory,

根据这个理论，

this is because memories are stored

这是因为记忆是以全息图的形式储存的，

in the form of holograms,

一个遥远的记忆从你脑海深处浮现。

and in holograms,

在全息图里，

you only need one fragment to see the whole picture.

你只需要一个片段

去全览整幅图。

Your brain has identified the tablecloth with one from the past,

你的大脑从之前的记忆中识别出桌布，

你的大脑从之前的记忆中识别出桌布，

maybe from your grandmother's house.

也许那记忆是从你外婆家得来的。

然而，你并没清楚记起来

However, instead of remembering that you've seen it at your grandmother's,

这图案是在外婆家看到的，

your brain has summoned up the old memory

你的大脑召唤出以前的记忆，

without identifying it.

却没有识别出它。

This leaves you stuck with familiarity, but no recollection.

这让你被似曾相识的感觉难住，

但是想不起来。

Although you've never been in this restaurant,

虽然你从没来过这家餐厅，

you've seen that tablecloth but are just failing to identify it.

但是你见过这桌布

可你却不能识别出它来。

Now, look at this fork.

现在，看看这叉子。

Are you paying attention?

你集中注意力了吗？

Our last theory is divided attention,

最后一个理论是分散的注意力理论，

and it states that déjà vu occurs

它声称，”幻觉记忆“发生在

when our brain subliminally takes in an environment

当我们大脑潜意识地接收一个场景

while we're distracted by one particular object.

而我们却被特定的一件事分散了注意力的时候。

When our attention returns,

当我们的注意力回来的时候，

we feel as if we've been here before.

我们就觉得我们以前来过这儿。

For example, just now you focused on the fork

比如，你现在关注于这个叉子

and didn't observe the tablecloth or the falling waiter.

但是没观察到这桌布

还有摔倒的服务生。

Although your brain has been recording everything

虽然你的大脑记录了

in your peripheral vision,

你周边的一切，

it's been doing so below conscious awareness.

这一记录行为是没有被意识到的。

When you finally pull yourself away from the fork,

当你的注意力

从叉子上抽离，

you think you've been here before because you have,

你就觉得，你来过这儿

因为你确实已经来过，

you just weren't paying attention.

你只是没注意。

While all three of these theories share the common features of déjà vu,

这三种理论都有”幻觉记忆“的特征，

这三种理论都有”幻觉记忆“的特征，

none of them propose to be the conclusive source

但哪种都不能被定为这一现象的

结论性的缘由。

of the phenomenon.

Still, while we wait for researchers and inventers

虽是如此，当我们期待研究人员和发明家

to come up with new ways to capture this fleeting moment,

创造出新的方法

来捕捉这一瞬间，

we can study the moment ourselves.

我们可以自己研究这一时刻。

After all, most studies of déjà vu are based on first-hand accounts,

大多数对于幻觉记忆的研究

还是源于一手资料，

so why can't one be yours?

为什么不能是你的？

The next time you get déjà vu, take a moment to think about it.

下次你出现记忆幻觉时

花点时间想一想。

Have you been distracted?

你的注意力分散了吗？

周围有没有熟悉的物品？

Is there a familiar object somewhere?

还是说你的大脑运转慢了？

Is your brain just acting slow?

Or is it something else?

还是别的什么？