Targeted dream incubation at a distance: the development of a remote and sensor-free tool for incubating hypnagogic dreams and mind-wandering
Frontiers in Sleep May 28, 2024 Lucas Bellaiche, Adam Haar Horowitz, Mason McClay et al. 5 citations
Hypnagogia, the transition from wakefulness to sleep, involves dreams that forge connections among unrelated concepts, potentially boosting creativity, learning, and memory. Mind-wandering, a form of spontaneous thought, may rely on similar processes. This study tested a new tool called Dormio Light to cue and index hypnagogic dream content remotely, cheaply, and quickly. In 80 participants (34 female), the tool successfully cued specific thought content (e.g., a tree) during hypnagogia and mind-wandering, with incubation rates matching lab studies. Phenomenological differences emerged between the two states. The tool offers a practical way to study these cognitive states and their relationship.