• Question: Why do we dream?

    Asked by Arian to Carolyn, Peter, Richard, Sara, Siana on 16 Nov 2015. This question was also asked by ebeth, Boo! Boo!.
    • Photo: Richard Unwin

      Richard Unwin answered on 16 Nov 2015:

      Hi Arian,

      Fantastic question. I don’t think anybody knows WHY we do it. However, studies have shown that it IS important. It seems to help us to process new information we’ve taken in during the day, and if you don’t dream you tend to perform less well in various test of social interaction and logical thinking. Everybody does it, although not everybody remembers what they’ve dreamed about.

    • Photo: Carolyn Nielsen

      Carolyn Nielsen answered on 16 Nov 2015:

      If you ever meet anyone who works in psychology this would be a fantastic question to ask them!

      Dreaming is probably more important to our mental health than our physical health. Related to this, it’s really interesting to know that a lack of sleep affects your mental capacity – like reaction times, ability to think clearly, remember new information- before it affects anything physical. That’s why it’s important to get a good night’s sleep before a test!

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