0085 Dream Bizarreness Is Related to Specific Aspects of Metacognition That Are Influenced by Personality
Michael Price, Zehra Haque, Lydia Garza, Carmen E. Westerberg
Sleep April 20, 2024 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsae067.0085 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational survey study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 78 |
| Population | 416 survey participants, of whom 78 reported both a lucid and a non-lucid dream and were included in analyses |
| Key findings | Contrary to the continuity hypothesis, lucid dreams were more bizarre than non-lucid dreams. Non-lucid dream bizarreness positively predicted awareness of dream dissociation, whereas higher lucid dream bizarreness was associated with fewer negative beliefs about uncontrollability and danger. Higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness were associated with higher negative beliefs about uncontrollability and danger, with no relationships between personality and dream dissociation. The authors argue dream bizarreness may reflect specific aspects of metacognition rather than general awareness of dreaming. |
Abstract
According to the continuity hypothesis, dreams reflect waking life experiences. Metacognition, the awareness of one’s thought processes, is minimal during typical dreaming but is assumed to be greater during lucid dreams, when the dreamer is aware they are dreaming and can sometimes control dream content. Therefore, one hypothesis is that lucid dreams may be more continuous with waking life than non-lucid dreams and thus contain less bizarre content than non-lucid dreams. However, support for this hypothesis is mixed and it may be incomplete, as metacognition typically includes multiple components, including the awareness of thinking and the regulation of processes involved in thinking. Additionally, these various metacognitive aspects may be differentially influenced by personality. To further examine how dream bizarreness relates to metacognition, 416 participants completed a survey including measures of dreaming frequency, sleep quality, multiple aspects of metacognition, and the Big 5 personality traits. Participants also reported their most recent lucid and non-lucid dreams which were scored for bizarreness. Relationships between dream bizarreness, metacognition, and personality were subsequently assessed. Seventy-eight participants were able to report both a lucid and non-lucid dream and contributed to analyses. In contrast to the continuity hypothesis, lucid dreams were more bizarre than non-lucid dreams, and regression analyses revealed that non-lucid dream bizarreness positively predicted awareness of dream dissociation, whereas higher lucid dream bizarreness was associated with fewer negative beliefs about uncontrollability and danger. Finally, higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness were associated with higher negative beliefs about uncontrollability and danger. No relationships between personality and dream dissociation were present. The hypothesis that, due to greater metacognitive awareness, lucid dreams are less bizarre than non-lucid dreams, was not supported. Instead, bizarre non-lucid dreams may emerge with increased self-disconnection and bizarre lucid dreams may occur when worry about losing control and associated dangers therein is low. Additionally, due to the observed relationships between personality and metacognition, low neuroticism and high conscientiousness may also increase the bizarreness of lucid dreams. Collectively, these results suggest that dream bizarreness may reflect specific aspects of metacognition rather than a general awareness that one is dreaming.