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The evolution of sex differences in competitive and social dream content.

Zachary B. Grant, Aisha Mir, Lampros Perogamvros, Virginie Sterpenich, N. Abbas, D. Samson

Hormones and Behavior March 9, 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2026.105916 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational cohort Peer reviewed
Sample size 298
Population Adults who logged dreams
Topics Dreaming
Key findings Males were significantly more likely to report dreams involving competitive content, while females showed a higher propensity for social dream content. No other thematic domains, including emotional content, yielded significant sex differences.

Abstract

Why do we dream? Evolutionary theories suggest that dreams may confer a fitness advantage by simulating real-world challenges. Simulation-based models suggest that dreams serve adaptive functions, including resolving emotional stress and enhancing readiness for waking encounters. From this perspective, evidence of evolutionary pressures reflected in dream content would support the view that dreaming could serve an evolutionary purpose. We explore whether sex differences in evolved behavioral and cognitive strategies shaped by distinct evolutionary pressures are expressed in dream content. We hypothesized that biological sex influences dream content; specifically, that females would report more dreams featuring social and emotional themes, while males would more frequently report dreams involving competition-related content (e.g., risk, reward, and threat), reflecting sex-differentiated ancestral challenges. With a sample of 298 participants logging 4641 dreams, we evaluated dream content across six thematic domains: Emotional Valence, Positive Emotional Content, Negative Emotional Content, Social Content, Competition-based Content, and Resource Acquisition-based Content. Using a mixed-effects model, we discovered that males were significantly more likely to report dreams involving competitive content, while females showed a higher propensity for social dream content. No other themes, including the domains of emotional content, yielded significant results. While these patterns are consistent with possible adaptive functions of dreaming, they may also reflect hormonal influences, socio-cultural factors, personality differences, or other non-evolutionary contributors. Our results extend existing literature on sex differences in dream content using text-based scoring methods, offering a nuanced perspective on how dreams may relate to both biological and social influences.

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

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