How you feel in the dream is reflected in waking life. People who are feeling well have more positive emotions in their dreams than those who are not feeling well, according to a dissertation in neuroscience from the university. Most of us dream every night, and dreams have long fascinated scientists and laymen alike. Our dreams contain different emotions, from fear to joy. In her research, researcher in cognitive neuroscience, has investigated the frequency and nature of emotions in dreams and, above all, looked at the connection between the emotions in our dreams and how they can be associated with how we feel when we are awake.

Dream feelings in those who feel well

The emotional content of our dreams reflects our waking well-being, noting that previous research has, to a large extent, concentrated on examining dreams in people suffering from various forms of ill health. That’s why i wanted to study and investigate the dreams of well-off people instead. Do happier people have happier dreams and what is the relationship between peace of mind as an aspect of well-being and dream feelings, she says.

The ability to regulate emotions

In her research, has concluded that the feelings we experience in dreams can be associated with how we feel when we are awake. The results show that people who feel better and have peace of mind, have more positive dreams and that they can be better at regulating their emotions. The researcher has also identified a pattern of brain activity that reflects anger during dreams. The results demonstrate that emotions are continuous during both dream and waking states, and are based on our ability to regulate emotions.

Different methods give different results

To understand why we have emotional dreams, we need to understand what dreams are like. Although there has been a relatively large amount of research on dreams and the emotions contained within them, existing research results are quite contradictory. According to some theories, dreams are something that helps us better deal with difficult events in life, because in dreams we simulate threatening things.

Other researchers believe that our dreams instead simply reflect our daily experiences and feelings. This thesis shows that these disagreements come from different methods being used in the studies. For example, in his research, has demonstrated different results regarding dreams, depending on whether the participants slept in a home environment or in a sleep laboratory. Thus states that how we study dreams is absolutely decisive for what results the studies show. Different methods and approaches can lead to completely different results and conclusions about the function of dreams and feelings in them.