Favorite odor induces negative dream emotion during rapid eye movement sleep.
Satomi Okabe, Kazuhiko Fukuda, Hiroko Mochizuki-Kawai, Kazuo Yamada
Sleep Medicine July 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2018.03.026 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 15 |
| Population | Adults who like or dislike phenyl ethyl alcohol odor |
| Intervention | Phenyl ethyl alcohol airflow |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Emotion Odor perception Olfactory stimulation Phenyl ethyl alcohol Rem sleep |
| Key findings | Participants who liked phenyl ethyl alcohol reported more emotionally negative dreams when the odor was presented during REM sleep than with odorless airflow. |
Abstract
As connections between nightmares and various psychiatric disorders have been reported, the clinical significance of studying dream emotionality is now growing in importance. Because the olfactory bulb connects directly to the amygdala odor presentation may be a crucial tool to study dream emotions. Previous studies have demonstrated that presentation of positive/negative odors during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep affects various aspects of dreaming. Although olfactory perception can be influenced by personal experiences, the role of individual preferences in the effects of olfactory stimuli on dreaming has not yet been clarified. The purpose of the current study was to clarify the effects of odor on dreaming during REM sleep, taking individual preferences into account. Phenyl ethyl alcohol (rose-like smell) airflow was presented as an experimental stimulus, and odorless airflow was presented as the control. Participants who like (n = 7) and dislike (n = 8) the odor of phenyl ethyl alcohol were presented air with and without the odor of phenyl ethyl alcohol, respectively, during REM sleep and then awakened to report and rate their dream contents. Thereafter, the transcribed dream reports were rated by independent raters. Participants who liked the odor of phenyl ethyl alcohol reported more emotionally negative dreams when they were presented with phenyl ethyl alcohol airflow than that with odorless airflow. In other words, the participant's favorite odor was associated with emotionally negative dreams. These findings could be attributed to the nature of odor perception and the characteristics of brain activities during REM sleep.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming Verified by Volitional Communication during Rem Sleep Selected subjects proficient in lucid dreaming | 1981 | Experimental study | n = 5 |
| Incorporation of concern- and nonconcern-related verbal stimuli into dream content. Seven male subjects studied during sleep Stages 2 and REM | 1981 | Experimental study | n = 7 |
| Lucid Dreaming and Alpha Activity: A Preliminary Report Good dream recallers | 1982 | Experimental study | n = 10 |
| Lucid dreaming during NREM sleep: Two case reports | 2012 | Sleep laboratory study | |
| The Dream Catcher experiment: blinded analyses failed to detect markers of dreaming consciousness in EEG spectral power. Human participants during sleep | 2020 | Experimental study with blinded classification | n = 9 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- What is sleep exactly? Global and local modulations of sleep oscillations all around the clock. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews December 1, 2023
- Enhancing and advancing the understanding and study of dreaming and memory consolidation: Reflections, challenges, theoretical clarity, and methodological considerations Consciousness and Cognition June 27, 2024
- Aushadha bheshajiyam of kashyapa indriya sthana - an explorative study International Journal of Complementary & Alternative Medicine November 24, 2021
- Olfaction-Related Factors Affecting Chemosensory Dream Content in a Sleep Laboratory. Brain Sciences September 16, 2021
- Whole-body procedural learning benefits from targeted memory reactivation in REM sleep and task-related dreaming. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory September 1, 2021
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