Dreams: Night School

Posted by jeremy

January 2, 2008

Finnish psychologist Antti Revonsuo has done some fascinating research into the function of dreams. This article changed the way I think about the nature of dreams.

"Dreams, (Revnonso) contends, are a training ground in which animals and people
alike go over the behaviors that are key to their survival.

...Revonsuo believes that dreams are a sort of nighttime theater in which
our brains screen realistic scenarios. This virtual reality simulates
emergency situations and provides an arena for safe training. As
Revonsuo puts it, ‘The primary function of negative dreams is rehearsal
for similar real events, so that threat recognition and avoidance
happens faster and more automatically in comparable real situations.’"

link