Dreams are hallucinations that occur most often during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep. Although the physiological purpose of this deep rest itself is well-known, the purpose of dreams is still relatively unconfirmed.
Some widely held theories, however, are that these often nonsensical musings allow us to better confront the emotionally turbulent problems in our lives, practice enduring stressful situations, and facilitate creative ideas.
Quick question. If your average dream had a theme song, would it be:
- Dream a Little Dream of Me by the Mamas and Papas
- This is What Dreams are Made of by Hilary Duff
- Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day
- Dream On by Aerosmith
- All Nightmare Long by Metallica?
Caution: the answer to this question will reveal the inner workings of your entire personality to me. Choose wisely!
Kidding 🙂 But the way you relate to each of the following dream descriptions might in fact reveal a bit about who you are.
Nightmares
People who have nightmares consistently are most likely to be empathetic, intuitive, emotional and introverted. In Myers Briggs terminology, these warm souls are INFPs. Their sensitivity, though endearing and beneficial to those around them, can sometimes make them very anxious people. They constantly worry about the “what ifs” in their own and others’ lives, and these fears threaten to manifest themselves during the night.
Dreams about a crush/significant other
If you find that the “Zzzzs” you’re getting remind you of the first letter of your boyfriend, Zander’s, first name, then you might be a bit of an entertainer. People with this personality type are spontaneous, they’re generous with their time and energy, and they can sometimes be quick to avoid their imminent responsibilities.
Being around others is one of their favorite things in the world (which is perfect, because they are quite the crowd-pleasers), so it only makes sense that their subconscious would be trying to make sense of their complex relationships during the night.
Lucid dreams
A lucid dream, or a dream during which you have control over what happens due to an awareness of the fact that you are sleeping, is most likely to happen to extroverted, intuitive, sensitive people (in other words, ENFPs). I happen to fall into this personality type, and perhaps fittingly, happen to have experienced a few lucid dreams myself. In one of them, I flew over the
Grand Canyon on a broomstick. Pretty fun.
This type’s intuition is thought to be responsible for encouraging lucid. It is what allows them to come to the conclusion that they are dreaming and then act on that realization without waking up.
Dreams rooted in reality
If you have dreams about taxes and the office, you are most likely to be a workaholic, or at least have a Type A personality. Maintaining a proper work/life balance is very stressful to you and your dreams will probably reflect that.
Sources:
https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Products-and-Services/Myers-Briggs (official MBTI assessment)
https://www.rd.com/culture/what-dreams-says-about-your-personality/
https://www.16personalities.com/articles/dream-on-the-role-of-personality-type-in-dream-retention
