• Question: Why can we remember our dreams

    Asked by Jhamat to Usman, Miranda, James, Freya, Daniel on 18 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Usman Bashir

      Usman Bashir answered on 18 Jun 2015:


      According to the most popular theory, there are two types of thought:

      ‘concetrated thought’: like something you’re thinking actively, like planning your homework, thinking about last evening’s football match.

      ‘wandering thoughts’, the kind of day-dreaming one may get into while brushing their teeth. We usually have little control over this type, and it also is hard to remember this kind of brain activity.

      It is believed that dreams are like ‘wandering thoughts’, so sometimes we remember them sometimes we dont.

    • Photo: Freya Wilson

      Freya Wilson answered on 18 Jun 2015:


      To add to what Usman said- it is believed you only remember your dreams if you somehow wake up, even briefly, during the dreaming process, that way they are committed to your short term memory and you can access them memories

    • Photo: Daniel Hewson

      Daniel Hewson answered on 22 Jun 2015:


      Dreams will also generate a different response having more or less impact on us emotionally. Some dreams can seem particularly vivid and even be scary or very specific to something related to your life. These type of dreams we are more likely to remember because they have had a strong impact on our physiological state or because we believe they have a specific meaning that relates to our day to day life.

    • Photo: Miranda Jackson

      Miranda Jackson answered on 22 Jun 2015:


      This is not my area of expertise, but it seems to me that when we dream, we become more aware of what is happening inside our own subconscious. If we are aware of something, we are able to form memories of it.

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