The study of dreams is often an imprecise and unpredictable field. What lies within the realm of dreams is deeply personal and difficult to verify scientifically. Compounding this is the fact that dream memory is fragmented, incomplete, and often shaped by emotions, recent experiences, health, and even stress levels. The question of where consciousness travels during sleep and what happens to it remains, for now, a mystery. However, one aspect can be examined through the lens of the scientific method: why some people are able to remember their dreams more than others.
A study recently published in Communications Psychology explores the factors that influence the ability to recall dreams upon waking, and highlights which individual traits and patterns shape this phenomenon. To gather data, scientists conducted a study involving 217 men and women, aged 18 to 70, from 2020 to 2024. Participants kept dream logs and completed psychometric, cognitive, and electroencephalographic assessments. Devices were also used to monitor sleep patterns.
Valentina Elce, a doctor in neuroscience at the IMT School of Advanced Studies in Lucca, Italy, and one of the authors of the new study, says that “despite their omnipresence, the mechanisms through which the brain generates dream experiences remain largely unknown.” She adds: “This makes the study of dreams and consciousness one of the most fascinating frontiers in neuroscience.”
Although the scientific debate is ongoing, the new study provides some “curious and revealing” data, says Francisco Segarra, a psychologist and member of the insomnia working group of the Spanish Sleep Society, who was not involved in the research. One key finding is that the ability to recall dreams is, according to the study, linked to a person’s vulnerability to “cognitive interference.”
Elce explains: “If we imagine the process of waking up and recalling our dreams, we realize how difficult it can be to ignore the outside world bombarding us with different stimuli, such as turning off the alarm, checking the time, or rushing because we’re late for work.”
All of these distractions represent the cognitive interference the study describes and make remembering a dream challenging. “It’s like being in a room full of people shouting while trying to hear a friend whispering something in the corner and then trying to remember what they said,” the specialist explains.
The study concludes that people with a greater ability to ignore distracting factors recall the content of their dreams more frequently. But that’s not all. The research also found that people who attach meaning to their dreams — who are curious about the act of dreaming, its nature, characteristics, and meaning — tend to recall them more frequently. “In fact, a prior interest in dreams can lead a person to implement strategies to improve dream recall, such as keeping a journal,” Elce explains.
The scientists observed that “the tendency towards mind wandering emerges in our study as another robust positive predictor of dream recall.” In other words, those who are prone to drifting into internal reflections are more likely to remember what they dreamed the night before. “People who are more interested in the meaning of their dreams have a more reflective personality pattern, and that could explain why they are more attentive to them,” says Segarra.
Age and seasons
There are times when dreaming is almost like watching a movie. Various sleep studies have shown that these vivid, more memorable images largely appear during REM sleep, a time when brain activity is at its peak. “Waking up during this phase is usually associated with a greater likelihood of dream recall. However, we now know that we dream throughout most of the night, not just during REM sleep,” Elce points out.
On the other hand, less deep sleep is associated with greater dream recall, as deep sleep is dominated by slow-wave brain activity, which can interfere with memory encoding and reduce awareness of the dream experience. Elce explains: “In the case of dreams, the brain needs to record them before waking up. However, sleep disrupts memory processes, and if a dream is not encoded correctly due to deep sleep, distractions upon waking, or a lack of attention to the dream, it can be quickly forgotten.”
Other relevant findings relate to time. The study indicates that, although aging does not reduce the ability to dream, it does make dream recall less frequent. “Younger people generally have better memories and greater concentration skills, which help them retain dream experiences. As we age, these abilities naturally decline, making dream recall more difficult,” Elce notes.
And regarding seasons, the study found that dream recall was lower in winter compared to spring and fall, suggesting a seasonal influence on dream recall frequency. Further research is needed to understand this phenomenon. A 2024 study found that shorter days in winter can lead to deeper, more uninterrupted sleep, which may reduce the likelihood of waking up during REM sleep —when dreams are typically easier to recall.
A mental rehearsal
It’s still unclear whether humans are biologically designed to remember their dreams or if this ability offers some evolutionary advantage. However, remembering certain dreams can be beneficial, particularly for emotional processing, memory, and problem-solving. The Italian researcher summarizes it this way: “Dreams often help us cope with emotions, fears, and anxieties, and remembering them can facilitate learning from past experiences and improve emotional regulation.”
The researchers also suggest that, since some dreams reflect real-life concerns or challenges, “recalling them might help develop solutions or anticipate dangers, providing a potential adaptive advantage.” They are not alone in this belief. Some researchers argue that dreaming allows the brain to simulate threats and rehearse potential responses in a safe environment. Elce concludes: “However, the deeper question of why we dream, both from a biological perspective and in relation to its impact on cognition and well-being, remains open.”
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