The latent geometry of dream content
Daniele Gatti, Tomaso Vecchi, Pietro Pietrini, Emiliano Ricciardi, Giulio Bernardi, Luca Rinaldi
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study using computational analysis |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 21,607 |
| Population | Dream narratives |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Dream content exhibits a structured latent geometry: dreams from different individuals and genders occupy distinct regions, temporal distance correlates with decreasing similarity (mainly due to language changes), and similarity among independent descriptions of dreamers predicts dream content similarity. |
Abstract
Dreams provide a potential unique window into human cognition, yet it remains unclear whether dream content reflects structured representational organization or largely idiosyncratic expression. Here, we analyze a large-scale dataset of dream narratives (21,607 reports) using a transformer language model to construct a high-dimensional representational space of dreams, in which each report is mapped onto a vector. We ask whether this space is structured, and if so, how different sources of information are organized within it. We find that dream content exhibits a structured latent geometry: dreams produced by different individuals, as well as by individuals of different genders, occupy systematically distinct regions of this space, particularly in more abstract semantic representations. Temporal information is also embedded in this geometry: the similarity between dreams decreases gradually as the temporal distance between them increases, revealing a continuous encoding of historical proximity, although this effect mainly reflects changes in language use and narrative conventions over time. Finally, similarity among independent descriptions of dreamers predicts similarity in their dream content, linking person-level characteristics to the organization of dream representations. Together, these results show that dreams are not random constructions but structured expressions of latent cognitive organization, in which personal, demographic and historical dimensions are systematically embedded across multiple representational levels. By making this structure explicit, the present approach provides a general computational framework for mapping the organization of internal experience.
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 |