A recent study led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the University of Toronto, in collaboration with the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), sheds light on the multifaceted nature of dreams and their varying emotional functions across different populations.
The research, published in Scientific Reports, delves into the dreams of forager communities in Africa and compares them to those of individuals living in Western societies. The findings underscore the profound impact of socio-cultural environments on the content and function of dreams. Dreams, a remarkable facet of human experience, have intrigued scientists for centuries, yet their exact purpose remains enigmatic.
Occurring primarily during the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase of sleep but also throughout various sleep stages, dreams are believed to serve diverse physiological, emotional, and cultural functions. Some theories suggest that dreams may simulate threatening or social situations, potentially conferring an evolutionary advantage by preparing individuals to respond adaptively to real-life challenges.Â
To investigate these theories, researchers from UNIGE and the University of Toronto conducted a comparative analysis of dream narratives among two forager communities: the BaYaka in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Hadza in Tanzania. These communities lead lifestyles that closely resemble those of our hunter-gatherer ancestors.
The dreams of these groups were juxtaposed with those of individuals from Western societies in Europe and North America, including Switzerland, Belgium, and Canada. The Western groups consisted of both healthy participants and individuals with psychiatric disorders. Anthropologists from the University of Toronto gathered dream narratives from the BaYaka and Hadza over a two-month field study, while data on the dreams of Western groups was sourced from previous studies conducted between 2014 and 2022.Â
The study revealed intriguing differences between the dreams of the forager communities and those of Western populations. Dreams among the BaYaka and Hadza often commenced with perilous situations that threatened life but concluded with scenarios depicting coping mechanisms to overcome these threats. In contrast, Western dream narratives lacked this cathartic emotional resolution.Â
Furthermore, the study highlighted that in clinical populations, such as individuals suffering from nightmares or social anxiety, dreams were intense but still lacked cathartic emotional resolutions, suggesting a deficiency in the adaptive function of dreaming in these cases. Among the forager populations, dreams involving threats frequently featured social support as a key element.
For instance, a dream might portray an individual in danger, only to be rescued by a community member. This element of social bonds and communal reliance seemed instrumental in processing the emotional content associated with threats in their dreams. In these communities, social relationships served as essential emotional tools for tackling life’s challenges.Â
Nevertheless, the study emphasizes that it is challenging to establish causal links between dream content and daytime functioning. Moreover, it does not suggest that dreams in Western populations lack emotional function. In a previous study from 2019, the same research team revealed that “bad dreams” in Western individuals, which are dreams with negative content that do not necessarily qualify as nightmares, often simulate fears and serve to prepare individuals to face these fears when awake.Â
In conclusion, the research demonstrates that there is not a single, uniform type of “functional” dream. Instead, the function of dreams appears to be closely intertwined with the socio-cultural context of the population under study. As such, dreams continue to mystify and intrigue researchers, offering a glimpse into the intricate relationship between the human mind and the diverse societies in which it resides.Â
ReferenceÂ
David R. Samson et al, Evidence for an emotional adaptive function of dreams: a cross-cultural study, Scientific Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43319-zÂ
