High thought suppressors dream more of their negative waking-life experiences than low thought suppressors.
Dreaming November 9, 2017 DOI: 10.1037/drm0000061 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study (replication and extension) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 62 |
| Population | Participants who completed questionnaires about thought suppression, sleep, mood, and their most recent dream |
| Measures | White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI), Pittsberg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS21), Most Recent Dream questions |
| Citations | 7 |
| Key findings | High thought suppressors dreamt more of their negative (but not positive) emotional waking-life experiences than low suppressors, and also reported poorer sleep quality and higher depression, anxiety, and stress. The authors conclude there is a negative relationship between trait thought suppression and well-being. |
Abstract
Research has found that high thought suppressors dream more of their emotional waking-life experiences than low suppressors, in line with the dream rebound effect. The present study replicated and extended this finding. Participants (N=62) completed the White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI), the Pittsberg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS21), and answered questions about their Most Recent Dream. High thought suppressors dreamt more of their negative (but not positive) emotional experiences from waking-life than low thought suppressors. They also had poorer sleep quality, and higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The results indicate a negative relationship between trait thought suppression and well-being. Identifying problematic suppressed thoughts in dream content may assist in generating insights into them and/or have therapeutic benefit.
Citations in the library
Cites 5
- Metaphor and hyperassociativity: the imagination mechanisms behind emotion assimilation in sleep and dreaming Frontiers in Psychology August 18, 2015
- The effects of suppressing intrusive thoughts on dream content, dream distress and psychological parameters Journal of Sleep Research May 16, 2013
- Dreaming and personality: Wake-dream continuity, thought suppression, and the Big Five Inventory. Consciousness and Cognition December 15, 2015
- Comparing personal insight gains due to consideration of a recent dream and consideration of a recent event using the Ullman and Schredl dream group methods. Frontiers in Psychology 2015
- Dream rebound: the return of suppressed thoughts in dreams. Psychological Science April 1, 2004