Perceived Interactions between the Dream and the Waking Divisions of Consciousness

Abstract

Perceived interactions between the dream division of consciousness and waking consciousness were investigated by asking subjects to attribute their moods to one of ten possible causes and to rate the influence of their dreams for twenty-eight days. Over time, some subjects occasionally evaluated dreams as the dominant cause of their moods. Across subjects and days, 11 percent of recalled dreams were perceived by subjects as the most influential cause of their moods as compared to other causes and 35 percent of recalled dreams were considered moderately influential. The present findings present preliminary evidence for modest perceived interactions between the dream division of consciousness and waking consciousness in natural settings as well as modest individual and sex differences in either the ability or practice of utilizing these perceived interactions.

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