Why do we dream?

I read an interesting theory on this a few days ago, and thought I might post. We've got to have some kind of intellectual discussion afterall, right?
Basically, this theory suggests that we often dream as a kind of threat simulator using your mind as a safe testing environment for possible scenarios you may face later on. I'd definatly an interesting read. Here's the article.

So, what are your thoughts on this idea?


Edit: forgot to mention-> This is role-play related.

I've always thought dreams were random images constructed by our minds eye while we sleep. If it's one thing I've thought about dreams it would be how the blind and the deaf dream. Do the blind only dream of voices and do the deaf only dream of images? And I also was thinking about eating or drinking in dreams. Do you taste your dream-food?

Hm...but interesting article, though I only read so much as about half of it all. Lol.

I imagine (although, obviously I don't know) that bind or deaf people would dream just the same as us, as-though it was an extension to to how they persieve things around them in reality.

Hmmm I can't say I understand your view as much as I would like but I think I get it =) Strange questions. I should ask someone who's deaf/blind...

Curious, does that mean that someone who does not remember having dreamt doesn't need to run through the possible scenarios of threat?

chaugall wrote:

Curious, does that mean that someone who does not remember having dreamt doesn't need to run through the possible scenarios of threat?

Well if that theory is true, they likely still do. Just because they do not remember the dream, does not mean that they did not dream. So the mind could have still attempted to run them through a scenario.

Personally I find this theory to be likely false. Many of my dreams lack any sort of threat. I have VERY few nightmares, or even any times where I'm in trouble in my dreams.

If you ask me, dreams are simply a collection of thoughts, memories, ideas, and stories that your mind goes through during the sleep process. You can even tap into the same basic part of your brain that creates the dreams whenever you make up a lie or a story. Its the part of your mind that stores information for creating false truths. Things that are based on fact in some way or another in order to create something new.

Some people may say something like "Well I had a dream where it was a completely new world. Nothing like earth at all. And nothing in it was something that exists now."

Well that may be very true, however they were likely all possibilities of things that your brain has learned which could be true. It just used random things to make something that would work for it. Then again it could be a collection of things that you got from a sci-fi show or something. Either way its something your brain already knew.

Your brain just blends things together when your dream. Its not uncommon of me to have a dream where one second I'm in a house, and the next second I'm in a forest. During the dream it all seems logical. Like it is possible for a house to suddenly turn into a forest. But then when I wake up I can only think "What the hell!?!?"

I'm a follower of the belief that dreams are how we process our thoughts and what we know at the time. But I've neve really considered anything deeper than that.

Oh wow...brain cramps...

shrig32 wrote:

I imagine (although, obviously I don't know) that bind or deaf people would dream just the same as us, as-though it was an extension to to how they persieve things around them in reality.

I suppose a blind person's dream would be rather abstract to us, considering their minds would only know things from touch, sound, smell or description. As for deaf people, well, I've never really pondered much on that one. I wonder what they think to sound... It's a bit of an unusual concept. Interesting though. I'd like to find out if they ever imagine sound if they've been deaf from birth. It's different if someone lost their sight or hearing after birth, even if they lost it at a young age, they're bound to remember, even subconsciously, what sound or sights were... This is going to be on my mind for a while, I can tell...



That theory is a bit odd. In some senses, it might be true, but it reminds me why I'm so mostly opposed to scientists of any kind. It's pretty irritating. It's rather biased, si all I can really say.
In my opinion, dreams are just something our minds come up with out of memories, experiences, whatever you want to call them. Everything our mind comes up with is. Even if it's claimed to be 'original', it's always from somewhere else. Be it ideas or dreams. It's memories, common sense. Maybe I'm too logical a person... But dreams are pretty much a collection of what's already in your mind. Just depends on one's mind set on how it's depicted.

I don't feel much like going on since I know I'll go off-topic.

.xeikomn// wrote:

shrig32 wrote:

I imagine (although, obviously I don't know) that bind or deaf people would dream just the same as us, as-though it was an extension to to how they persieve things around them in reality.

I suppose a blind person's dream would be rather abstract to us

people with perfect senses such as our selfs dreams are abstract.

Also worth adding to this is the fact that peoples short-term memory functions don't work while we are asleep and only very rarely do we remember even tiny details from our dreams. We probably run though hundreds of scenarios and ideas each hour but we'd never know for sure.

Maybe, one day, we'll create a DCmini type system, like out of Paprika. It's a good movie, you should watch it.
Anyway, it's something that *wiki-copies* "allows the user to view people's dreams, exploring their unconscious thoughts." It'd be handy if looking into all these dream theories. I hope it's created during my lifetime ._.

Curious .xeikomn//. But I don't think I'd want just anyone watching my dreams...for some reason that gives me Goosebumps, but I'm not really sure why. Perhaps I like to think that my sub conscious is private and for me alone hehe.

I don't think dreams can be captured in any way that we might watch thing in reality such as moving images and such. I imagine if anything, it would have to be injected and experienced first-hand.. You can't really watch something that doesn't have any real existence- it's like saying that you'd want to watch peoples ideas and thoughts =S

*chuckles* don't think I'd want just anyone experiencing my dreams...same reason as sitting back and watching them *laughs*.

people wouldn't be able to cope with my dreams- they're too awesome for them to comprehend =P

lol my dreams are really weird.

It is an interesting article. But I also don't see it being 'completely' accurate. Actually, I have had that instance before where I have felt like deja vu where it felt like I've I just did something that I've dreamed about, but it wasn't anything threatening.Many times, the dreams could be brief second glimpses. Like one time, I went through a grocery store and I asked the clerk for something and she showed me where to look. When I looked up at the isle sign and went down, it felt like I had done exactly that before.....

I don't know. Threatening wise, I don't think so. But I can tell you for a fact, that dreaming brief scenarios that are none threatening in the future has happened to me before.

I think people are forgetting that their memory doesn't work during sleep and there's no accurate way of knowing what you dreamt at all.. for all you know, what you *do* remember could have been thought up during a split second of your sleep period as you were waking up...

Hmm...I'm not sure about that.

There has been instances where a person can recite a dream to a 'T' about everything they experienced/ felt, thought, scenery, ect...

however, there's no telling at all if it truly is every last detail, or even if they are lying/making some of it up o.O Or, perhaps they think hard enough that it's true to kid themselves that it is, that's certainly not unlikely especially if it makes them seem superior/as if they have a special talent =S All kinds of things could explain that xD
Dreams are a very touchy subject =S

Well, that's true. It is a very touchy subject. Although I don't think every person lies about his or her dream. Even in the Bible, King Nebuchadnezzar had very clear and detailed dreams about the fall of his kingdom and his reign on throne.

Um....even Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. lol

...I won't discuss the bible, that's a whole different story o.O
There's definatly things going on in our heads all the time- not only when we are asleep that we have no concious idea about. This, I think is where the danger assessment should take place. Really, if having dreams like that were essential, wouldn't you rather be oblivious to it? The dreams we remember, however- are perhaps only the off-cuts in the few moments as you wake up and your memory switches back into gear. Perhaps your unconscious mind giving you further reading because it didn't have time to run its simulation? It's all possible, really.