Scientists Study Dreams to Understand Their Function
This question has been of interest to scientists for a long time – why do people see dreams and what is their function? A joint international research group decided to investigate the differences and similarities in the content and emotional background of dreams among individuals from Western and traditional hunting and gathering cultures. The aim was to determine whether the features of dreams are related to psychological mechanisms that helped our distant ancestors.
The study, published in the journal NATURE Scientific Reports, involved residents from modern European countries (Switzerland, Belgium, and Canada), as well as representatives from the Baku and Hadza tribes in Africa. The dreams of Western participants were recorded in detailed diaries from 2014 to 2022, while the work with African tribes was conducted through close personal contact over several months.
The selection of the Baku and Hadza tribes was coincidental: their traditional way of life closely resembles the conditions in which our ancestors lived during prehistoric times as hunters. These tribes rely on hunting and gathering as their main source of sustenance, and they do not have modern infrastructure or social protection. Equality among tribe members and mutual assistance are core values in their culture, which are critical for survival in the harsh conditions of the wilderness.
Analysis of the dreams collected from the two tribes revealed significant differences in both the subject matter and emotional tone compared to the dreams of Europeans. The dreams of the Hadza and Baku tribes were filled with positive social interactions, while