In these latter groups, the adaptive function of dreaming appears to be deficient,” discusses Lampros Perogamvros, a privat-docent and group leader in the Departments of Psychiatry and Basic Neurosciences at the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine, and a going to doctor at the HUG Center for Sleep Medicine, who led the study.
It appears this kind of social connection, and dependence on community suggests that the finest method they process the psychological material associated with dangers in their dreams, is by way of the social relationships they have. It is tough to deduce any causal links in between the dreams and daytime working in this research study. Nor must we conclude that dreams in groups of Western individuals have no emotional function,” Lampros Perogamvros adds. The present research study shows that there is a strong link between our socio-cultural life and the function of dreams,” concludes the scientist.
What are the physiological, psychological, or cultural functions of dreams? Current theories suggest that during a “practical” dream, the individual simulates more threatening and/or social circumstances, which would have an evolutionary benefit in promoting adapted habits to real-life situations.
The result of dreams varies depending on the population and the environment studied
To check these theories, scientists from the UNIGE and the University of Toronto compared the material of the imagine the BaYaka in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Hadza in Tanzania– 2 communities whose lifestyle is close to that of our hunter-gatherer forefathers– with that of various groups of people residing in Europe and North America (Switzerland, Belgium, Canada), including healthy participants and clients with psychiatric disorders.
For the BaYaka and Hadza, dream stories were collected over a two-month duration in the field by anthropologists from the University of Toronto. The information on the dreams of the Western groups originated from past studies, released between 2014 and 2022.
” We discovered that the imagine the BaYaka and Hadza are very dynamic. They frequently start with a scenario of risk, in which life is threatened, but wind up staging a method of managing this danger, unlike the circumstances in the Western groups we observed. On the other hand, in clinical populations– such as patients struggling with nightmares or social anxiety– the dreams are intense however do not consist of a cathartic emotional resolution. In these latter groups, the adaptive function of dreaming appears to be deficient,” explains Lampros Perogamvros, a privat-docent and group leader in the Departments of Psychiatry and Basic Neurosciences at the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine, and a participating in physician at the HUG Center for Sleep Medicine, who led the study.
A mirror of the social fabric
It is tough to deduce any causal links between the dreams and daytime operating in this study. Nor should we conclude that dreams in groups of Western individuals have no emotional function,” Lampros Perogamvros adds. The present study reveals that there is a strong link in between our socio-cultural life and the function of dreams,” concludes the researcher.
Recommendation: “Evidence for a psychological adaptive function of dreams: a cross-cultural study” by David R. Samson, Alice Clerget, Noor Abbas, Jeffrey Senese, Mallika S. Sarma, Sheina Lew-Levy, Ibrahim A. Mabulla, Audax Z. P. Mabulla, Valchy Miegakanda, Francesca Borghese, Pauline Henckaerts, Sophie Schwartz, Virginie Sterpenich, Lee T. Gettler, Adam Boyette, Alyssa N. Crittenden and Lampros Perogamvros, 2 October 2023, Scientific Reports.DOI: 10.1038/ s41598-023-43319-z.
Dreaming is a complicated neurophysiological experience affected by socio-cultural environments, with current research study comparing dreams of forager neighborhoods in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo to those in Europe and North America, exposing differences in emotional tones and real-life situation simulations. The study indicates that dreams reflect social standards and worths, recommending a link between dream content and the individuals socio-cultural life.
A study conducted by researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the University of Toronto exposes that dreams can have a variable emotional function.
The conclusive reason for dreaming stays evasive. New research study performed collaboratively by the University of Geneva (UNIGE), the University of Toronto, and the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), compared the dreams of two forager communities, in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with those of individuals living in Europe and North America.
It revealed that the first 2 groups produced more threatening, but likewise more socially-oriented and cathartic dreams than the Western groups. These outcomes, to be checked out in Scientific Reports, show how strong are the links in between the socio-cultural environment and the function of dreams.
Dreaming is an imaginary experience typical to all people. It takes place usually throughout the paradoxical stage of sleep, referred to as the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage. Nevertheless, it can occur at any sleep stage.
