Photo: AI / Dreams are not random scientists have found out what their content depends on
The results of the work have been published in the scientific journal Communications Psychology. The study involved 287 people aged 18 to 70 years. For two weeks they kept diaries, recording both the events of the day and the content of their dreams. In total, scientists analyzed more than 3,700 records.
The team applied natural language analysis techniques to process the data. This allowed them to identify patterns that are difficult to notice in the usual study. It turned out that dreams depend not only on recent experience, but also on a person’s individual characteristics – including tendency to “mind wandering”, quality of sleep and personal attitude to the dreams themselves.
The study found that the brain does not literally reproduce reality. Familiar places and situations – such as work, school or medical facilities – are transformed in dreams, combining with memories, expectations and elements of imagination. As a result, new, sometimes surreal scenarios are formed.
Participants prone to frequent distracted reflection were more likely to describe dreams as fragmented and rapidly changing. At the same time, people who attach special importance to dreams reported more vivid and emotionally intense stories.
Separately, the scientists compared the results with data from the COVID-19 pandemic period. Back then, themes of restriction, isolation and anxiety appeared more frequently in dreams. Over time, however, as they adapted, such motifs gradually diminished.
The authors of the study emphasize: dreams are a dynamic process, reflecting not only the experience, but also a person’s personality, emotional state and thinking patterns. These results open new opportunities for studying memory, consciousness, and mechanisms of psychological adaptation using modern data analysis technologies.
