Viral simulations in dreams: The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on threatening dream content in a Finnish sample of diary dreams
Ville Loukola, Jarno Tuominen, Santeri Kirsilä, Annimaaria Kyyhkynen, Maron Lahdenperä, Lilja Parkkali, Emilia Ranta, Eveliina Malinen, Sanni Vanhanen, Katariina Välimaa, Henri Olkoniemi, Antti Revonsuo, Katja Valli
Consciousness and Cognition February 8, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2024.103651 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,298 |
| Population | Dreams collected from participants via prospective two-week dream diary |
| Duration | Two-week dream diary |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Pandemic Dream Contradiction Content measure theory 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak Disease Virology Psychotherapist Pathology |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | No overall increase in threatening dream content during the pandemic, but dreams with direct pandemic references had more threats and severe threats. |
Abstract
Previous research indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected dreaming negatively. We compared 1132 dreams collected with prospective two-week dream diary during the pandemic to 166 dreams collected before the pandemic. We hypothesized that the pandemic would increase the number of threatening events, threats related to diseases, and the severity of threats. We also hypothesized that dreams that include direct references to the pandemic will include more threatening events, more disease-related threats, and more severe threats. In contradiction with our hypotheses, results showed no differences between pandemic and pre-pandemic samples in the number of threats, threats related to diseases, or severe threats. However, dreams with direct references to the pandemic had more threats, disease-related threats, and severe threats. Our results thus do not suggest a significant overall increase in nightmarish or threatening dream content during the pandemic but show a more profound effect on a minority of dreams.
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 |
| Dreaming in NREM Sleep: A High-Density EEG Study of Slow Waves and Spindles Healthy human subjects | 2018 | Observational cohort | n = 14 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- The Dream Experience and Its Relationship with Morning Mood in Adolescents Hospitalized after a Suicide Attempt Brain Sciences August 10, 2024
- The return to normal life: sleep, anxiety upon awakening, and nightmares following the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic Frontiers in Sleep June 24, 2026
- Individual and Situational Predictors of Threatening Dream Content During the COVID ‐19 Pandemic Journal of Sleep Research April 2, 2026
- Exploring the role of dreams: insights from recent studies. Current opinion in pulmonary medicine November 1, 2024
Cites 18
- Metaphor and hyperassociativity: the imagination mechanisms behind emotion assimilation in sleep and dreaming Frontiers in Psychology August 18, 2015
- Dreaming during the Covid-19 pandemic: Computational assessment of dream reports reveals mental suffering related to fear of contagion PLoS One November 30, 2020
- Dreaming and the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey in a U.S. sample. Dreaming September 1, 2020
- Dream recall frequency, attitude towards dreams and openness to experience. Dreaming September 1, 2003
- Pandemic Nightmares: COVID-19 Lockdown Associated With Increased Aggression in Female University Students' Dreams Frontiers in Psychology March 5, 2021
and 13 more in the library