Factors Influencing the Gender Difference in Dream Recall Frequency

Women report remembering their dreams more often than men. The connection between gender and dream recall is partly explained by how meaningful people find their dreams and whether they report having problem-solving dreams. Emotional intensity of dreams and nightmare frequency do not substantially affect this gender difference. The reasons for the difference remain unclear, and future work should test factors like attitude toward dreams and examine how the difference develops in childhood and adolescence.

Study at a glance

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.