Mental time travel to the future might be reduced in sleep.
Jana Speth, Astrid M Schloerscheidt, Clemens Speth
Consciousness and Cognition February 1, 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2016.11.006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 563 |
| Population | Mentation reports from sleep onset, REM sleep, non-REM sleep, and waking |
| Keywords | Hypnagogic hallucinations Linguistics Mentation reports Non-rem Quantitative linguistic analysis Sleep onset |
| Key findings | REM and non-REM sleep are characterized by a reduction in mental time travel to the future compared to waking. |
Abstract
We present a quantitative study of mental time travel to the future in sleep. Three independent, blind judges analysed a total of 563 physiology-monitored mentation reports from sleep onset, REM sleep, non-REM sleep, and waking. The linguistic tool for the mentation report analysis is based on established grammatical and cognitive-semantic theories and has been validated in previous studies. Our data indicate that REM and non-REM sleep must be characterized by a reduction in mental time travel to the future, which would support earlier physiological evidence at the level of brain function.
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- How deep is the rift between conscious states in sleep and wakefulness? Spontaneous experience over the sleep–wake cycle Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences December 13, 2020
- The Language of Dreams: Application of Linguistics-Based Approaches for the Automated Analysis of Dream Experiences Clocks & Sleep September 19, 2021
- Constructive episodic simulation in dreams PLoS One March 22, 2022
- A New Measure of Hallucinatory States and a Discussion of REM Sleep Dreaming as a Virtual Laboratory for the Rehearsal of Embodied Cognition. Cognitive Science 2018
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