Factors Influencing the Gender Difference in Dream Recall Frequency
Imagination, Cognition and Personality September 1, 2002 DOI: 10.2190/jr55-wyc2-1gc0-023d (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Women have higher dream recall frequency than men, and this relationship is partly mediated by the meaningfulness of dreams and occurrence of problem-solving dreams. |
Abstract
The results of the present study confirmed earlier findings of heightened dream recall frequency in women. The variables “meaningfulness of dreams” and “occurrence of problem-solving dreams” significantly reduced the correlation coefficient between gender and dream recall frequency. However, the question of causality remains unsolved. Other variables such as emotional intensity of dreams or nightmare frequency did not affect the relationship between gender and dream recall in a substantial way. Future research should manipulate systematically the variables under consideration, e.g., attitude toward dreams in order to observe the effects of this procedure on dream recall frequency and focus on the development of the gender difference during childhood and adolescence in relation to the child's understanding of the dream phenomenon.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Student volunteers trained to become lucid and signal lucidity with horizontal eye... | 2009 | Observational study | n = 6 |
| Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Young adults with a mean age of 20 years | 2002 | Prospective observational study | n = 116 |
| Long-term effects of extreme situational stress on sleep and dreaming Survivors of traumatic events who complained of sleep disturbances, compared with... | 1987 | Case-control study | n = 11 |
| The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Adults who reported dreams | 2004 | Observational cohort | n = 147 |
| The prevalence of nightmares and their independence from anxiety. Undergraduates | 1990 | Observational study using daily dream logs | n = 220 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 9
- Measuring nightmare and bad dream frequency: impact of retrospective and prospective instruments Journal of Sleep Research May 13, 2008
- Gender differences in dream socialisation in children and adolescents International Journal of Adolescence and Youth February 27, 2013
- Learning Lucid Dreaming and its Effect on Depression in Undergraduates eCommons 2011
- 'I love you': the first phrase detected from dreams. Sleep Science 2022
- Ontogenetic and Gender Dimensions in a Normative Study of the Dreams of Canadians uO Research 2017
and 4 more in the library
Cites 3
- REM Dreaming and Cognitive Skills at Ages 5-8: A Cross-sectional Study International Journal of Behavioral Development December 1, 1990
- Dream Recall: State or Trait Variable? Part I: Model, Theories, Methodology and Trait Factors Imagination, Cognition and Personality October 1, 1996
- Age changes in dream recall in adulthood. Dreaming March 1, 1996