The Multifunctionality of Dreaming and the Oblivious Avatar
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Avatar Dream Virtual reality Cognitive science Creativity Phenomenology philosophy Epistemology Human–computer interaction |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key points | Proposes that threat simulation and social simulation functions of dreaming uniquely explain dreamers' obliviousness to their true state of mind. |
Abstract
Sleep and dreaming do not serve a single biological function, but are multifunctional. Their functions include memory consolidation and integration, emotion regulation, creativity and problem solving, and preparation for waking life. One promising level of description is that of dreaming as a virtual reality: The dreamer interacts with a simulated environment including other simulated avatars. While dreaming can be considered a multifunctional general reality simulator, the threat simulation and social simulation functions of dreaming are unique among other dream functions in their ability to explain a striking feature of dream phenomenology: obliviousness towards the true state of mind. EM