Do animals dream?
Josie E Malinowski, D Scheel, M Mccloskey
Consciousness and Cognition October 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2021.103214 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Animal consciousness Cephalopods Dream-enacting behaviours |
| Citations | 25 |
| Key points | Proposes that parallels in phenomenology, physiology, and sleep behaviors between human and non-human animals can be used to investigate dreaming in non-human animals, with octopuses as promising candidates for studying dream-enacting behaviors. |
Abstract
The understanding of biological functions of sleep has improved recently, including an understanding of the deep evolutionary roots of sleep among animals. However, dreaming as an element of sleep may be particularly difficult to address in non-human animals because in humans dreaming involves a non-wakeful form of awareness typically identified through verbal report. Here, we argue that parallels that exist between the phenomenology, physiology, and sleep behaviors during human dreaming provide an avenue to investigate dreaming in non-human animals. We review three alternative measurements of human dreaming - neural correlates of dreaming, 'replay' of newly-acquired memories, and dream-enacting behaviors - and consider how these may be applied to non-human animal models. We suggest that while animals close in brain structure to humans (such as mammals and birds) may be optimal models for the first two of these measurements, cephalopods, especially octopuses, may be particularly good candidates for the third.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dreaming: a conceptual framework for philosophy of mind and empirical research | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Metaphor and hyperassociativity: the imagination mechanisms behind emotion assimilation in sleep and dreaming | 2015 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Varieties of Lucid Dreaming Experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Experimental Research on Dreaming: State of the Art and Neuropsychoanalytic Perspectives | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Neurobiology of Consciousness: Lucid Dreaming Wakes Up | 2009 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 9
- Enhancing and advancing the understanding and study of dreaming and memory consolidation: Reflections, challenges, theoretical clarity, and methodological considerations Consciousness and Cognition June 27, 2024
- How do inner screens enable imaginative experience? Applying the free-energy principle directly to the study of conscious experience. Neuroscience of Consciousness 2025
- Abnormal behavioral episodes associated with sleep and quiescence in Octopus insularis : Possible nightmares in a cephalopod? bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) May 12, 2023
- Rungs on the Ladder to Consciousness June 30, 2025
- How Consciousness Works Dreams, Jokes, and Songs July 31, 2025
and 4 more in the library
Cites 27
- Lucid Dreaming Verified by Volitional Communication during Rem Sleep Perceptual and Motor Skills June 1, 1981
- Dreaming in NREM Sleep: A High-Density EEG Study of Slow Waves and Spindles Journal of Neuroscience September 10, 2018
- Dreams and Psychedelics: Neurophenomenological Comparison and Therapeutic Implications Current Neuropharmacology June 19, 2017
- Waves of the Unconscious: The Neurophysiology ofDreamlikePhenomena and Its Implications for the Psychodynamic Model of the Mind Neuropsychoanalysis 2007
- Can observers link dream content to behaviours in rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder? A cross‐sectional experimental pilot study Journal of Sleep Research August 4, 2011
and 22 more in the library