Whether you’re flying through the sky, falling from a twelve-story building or having a romantic relationship with your neighbor, dreams are a window into a world without constraints. The barriers of our everyday life don’t exist. Some parts of our dream world appear realistic, but others are tokens of our imagination. And this begs to question: Do our dreams have meaning? For researchers, this has long been a point of contention.
According to Cognitive Neuroscientist Antti Revonsuo, dreams are meant to prepare us for real-life situations that we may encounter in the future. Dreaming simulates a world where we are immersed, he says. “Dreams helps us to recognize threats and learn how to respond to them in some meaningful way. We’re rehearsing them before they happen,” says Revonsuo.
Dreaming also prepares us for social interactions, says Revonsuo. Positive and neutral dreams may help hone our social cognition and perception. “We ...
