Although almost everyone dreams for a large part of the night, not everyone can recall their dreams in the morning. Some people wake up and consistently remember their dreams in vivid detail — including complex storylines, dialogue, and locations — while others have no dream memory whatsoever.
Scientists from the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca in Italy set out to investigate the factors influencing dream recall. They published their findings in Communications Psychology to contribute to a better understanding of the origins, significance, and functions of our dreams.
Current Insights into Dreaming
Despite extensive research, scientists worldwide remain puzzled about why we dream. A recent global increase in dream recall during the COVID-19 pandemic has inspired further investigation to unlock the secrets of dreaming.
Currently, dreams are thought to provide insight into sleep-dependent processes like learning and memory consolidation. Additionally, changes in the frequency or content of dreams may be linked to the early stages of psychiatric and neurological conditions. This connection suggests that monitoring dream patterns could offer clues to emerging mental health issues, as suggested by another dream study from 2021.
Previous research indicated that women, individuals who frequently daydream, and younger people tend to have better dream recall. To identify the specific factors contributing to this ability, the research team and author Valentina Elce asked over 200 participants aged 18 to 70 to document their dreams daily for 15 days. During this period (2020 to 2024), participants' sleep patterns and cognitive data were monitored using wearable devices and psychometric tests.
Read More: Why Do We Dream? Science Offers a Few Possibilities
Tracking Dreams
To explore the relationship between dream recall and various factors, participants also completed psychological and cognitive assessments. These measured attributes such as anxiety levels, interest in dreams, daydreaming tendencies, and memory capacity.
The study found that people who spent longer periods in light sleep were more likely to remember their dreams upon waking. Younger participants reported higher dream recall rates, while older individuals often experienced white dreams — a feeling of having dreamt without knowing any details or imagery. This age-related difference suggests changes in memory processes during sleep as people get older.
The study confirmed previous findings that people with a positive attitude toward dreams and those who frequently daydream are more likely to remember their dreams.
In addition to reinforcing known factors, the researchers identified new influences on dream recall. Participants reported lower dream recall during winter compared to spring, potentially due to seasonal environmental changes or circadian rhythms.
Furthermore, the researchers observed that individuals who are more susceptible to distractions tend to forget their dreams more easily. This supports the interference hypothesis for dream recall, which suggests that dream memories are fragile and easily disrupted by distractions upon waking.
Interestingly, the study did not confirm the previously held belief that women have better dream recall than men.
The Future of Dream Science
Studying dream behavior is a valuable model for understanding human consciousness. Increased dream recall during the COVID-19 pandemic was interpreted in a 2021 study as a reflection of the heightened emotional intensity during that period.
These findings align with the work of lead author Giulio Bernardi, a professor of general psychology at the IMT School. In a press release, he explained, "Our findings suggest that dream recall is not just a matter of chance but a reflection of how personal attitudes, cognitive traits, and sleep dynamics interact."
Discoveries like this offer new insights into the relationship between dreams and mental health. They also open the door to exploring the diagnostic and prognostic potential of dream patterns in clinical settings and contribute to the broader study of human consciousness.
Read More: Lack of Sleep Could Be Causing an Increase in Mental Health Disorders
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
Communications Psychology: The individual determinants of morning dream recall
Lancet Neurology: Dreams and nightmares in healthy adults and in patients with sleep and neurological disorders
Nature and Science of Sleep: How our Dreams Changed During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Effects and Correlates of Dream Recall Frequency - a Multinational Study on 19,355 Adults
Having worked as a biomedical research assistant in labs across three countries, Jenny excels at translating complex scientific concepts – ranging from medical breakthroughs and pharmacological discoveries to the latest in nutrition – into engaging, accessible content. Her interests extend to topics such as human evolution, psychology, and quirky animal stories. When she’s not immersed in a popular science book, you’ll find her catching waves or cruising around Vancouver Island on her longboard.
