What happens if you write the same word over and over?
The the the the induction of jamais vu in the laboratory: word alienation and semantic satiation
Writing the same word over and over makes it start to look strange and unfamiliar, the opposite of déjà vu.
Ig Nobel 2023
Volunteers copied out a common word, like “door”, again and again, and were told they could stop whenever something felt odd. The scientists wanted to create jamais vu: the eerie feeling that something familiar suddenly seems new.
Most people stopped after a short while because the word started to look wrong, as if it might not be a real word at all. Yes, the title really does say “the” four times on purpose.
Door. Door. Door. Door. …Is that even a word?