Reading dream literature: frequency, influencing factors, and self-rated benefit.

About 75% of 444 participants, mostly psychology students, had read at least one magazine article on dreams, and over 40% had read at least one book about dreams. A positive attitude toward dreaming was the main factor linked to how often people read dream literature; personality traits played only a minor role. The self-rated benefit of reading such material ranged widely, from not helpful to very helpful, and was associated with how often people recalled their dreams and their positive attitude toward dreaming. More detailed research into what specific information people read could help identify effective dream-work techniques.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Dream books have a very long history, but systematic research on how many people have read magazine articles or books on dreams and whether reading such literature is beneficial to the dreamer is scarce. In the present sample of 444 people (mostly psychology students), about 75% of the participants stated that they had read at least one magazine article on dreams, and more than 40% had read at least one book about dreams. The main factor associated with the frequency of reading dream literature was a positive attitude toward dreaming, whereas personality factors play a minor role in explaining interindividual differences in this variable. The self-rated benefit of reading dream literature varied greatly, from not helpful at all to very helpful, and was associated with dream recall frequency and positive attitude toward dreaming. Using this approach in a more sophisticated way, eliciting details about the kinds of information participants have read would help researchers learn more about what techniques of dream work are effective and thus complement the research carried out in therapist-guided sessions.