Scientists at Northwestern University have demonstrated the capacity to influence the content of dreams, enabling individuals to resolve challenges and enhance imaginative thinking. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Comments
Researchers have found a way to introduce concepts into nocturnal visions to stimulate inventiveness, a breakthrough that may bring the notion of ‘dream manipulation’ as seen in Inception closer to becoming a reality.
In the hit Christopher Nolan science fiction movie, a burglar, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who steals confidential corporate data through dream-sharing technology, is given the mission of planting an idea into the subconscious of a company executive.
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Now, a team at Northwestern University in the United States has revealed that it is indeed possible to subtly ‘guide’ the subject matter of people’s dreams – and that these nocturnal experiences can aid in resourceful problem-solving.
Before going to bed, volunteers tackled intricate riddles, each accompanied by its own distinct melody. Throughout the night in the sleep laboratory, investigators monitored their brain activity and, during REM sleep – the phase linked with intense dreaming – quietly replayed the sounds related to some of the unresolved puzzles.
This method, referred to as targeted memory reactivation (TMR), led to 75% of participants reporting the inclusion of images or concepts from the suggested puzzles in their dreams upon waking.
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Remarkably, people were considerably more likely to find solutions to the puzzles that manifested in their dreams: Nearly half were deciphered when associated with dreams, as opposed to less than a fifth for puzzles that did not appear in their dreams.
In 12 of the 20 participants, the prompted puzzles occurred more often in dreams – and those individuals amplified their morning performance on those reactivated puzzles by two-fold.
Numerous volunteers were seasoned lucid dreamers who occasionally realise they are dreaming – a small number even transmitted pre-arranged ‘I heard that’ signals via sniff patterns while asleep. However, the dream prompts proved to be effective even in the absence of lucidity.
One participant, triggered with a ‘trees’ puzzle, awoke detailing a wander through a forest. Another, cued with a jungle-themed puzzle, dreamed of angling in a jungle while reflecting on the assignment.
“Many challenges facing the world today call for innovative solutions,” said senior author Professor Ken Paller. “Sleep technology could be of assistance.”
Lead author Karen Konkoly observed that dream content adhered to the auditory cues “even without lucidity,” implying that our sleeping brains are receptive to gentle direction.
The study is limited (20 people) and does not conclusively prove that dreams alone produced superior outcomes. Curiosity or supplementary variables might be contributing factors.
Nonetheless, possessing the ability to steer dream content signifies a notable stride toward grasping how sleep facilitates inventiveness, learning, and potentially even emotional health.
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If future research corroborates it, “sleeping on it” could evolve from an age-old adage to a functional method – from artists to shift workers, students to engineers, anyone struggling with a dilemma might one day get a prompt in their sleep rather than another late-night coffee.
The research entitled ‘Creative problem-solving after experimentally provoking dreams of unsolved puzzles during REM sleep’ appears in the Neuroscience of Consciousness journal.