A Linguistic Analysis of Spontaneous Thoughts: Investigating Experiences of D\'ej\`a Vu, Unexpected Thoughts, and Involuntary Autobiographical Memories

TL;DR

This study uses linguistic analysis of participant descriptions to explore the characteristics of spontaneous thoughts like Deja Vu, involuntary memories, and unexpected thoughts, providing insights into their cognitive and emotional features.

Contribution

It introduces a linguistic signature approach to investigate spontaneous thoughts, updating theories with empirical language-based evidence.

Findings

Deja Vu involves abstract and spatial language.

Involuntary Memories are rich in personal and emotional details.

Unexpected Thoughts are characterized by unpredictability and cognitive disruption.

Abstract

The onset of spontaneous thoughts are reflective of dynamic interactions between cognition, emotion, and attention. Typically, these experiences are studied through subjective appraisals that focus on their triggers, phenomenology, and emotional salience. In this work, we use linguistic signatures to investigate Deja Vu, Involuntary Autobiographical Memories and Unexpected Thoughts. Specifically, we analyze the inherent characteristics of the linguistic patterns in participant generated descriptions of these thought types. We show how, by positioning language as a window into spontaneous cognition, existing theories on these attentional states can be updated and reaffirmed. Our findings align with prior research, reinforcing that Deja Vu is a metacognitive experience characterized by abstract and spatial language, Involuntary Autobiographical Memories are rich in personal and emotionally significant detail, and Unexpected Thoughts are marked by unpredictability and cognitive disruption. This work is demonstrative of languages potential to reveal deeper insights into how internal spontaneous cognitive states manifest through expression.