Dreams give us a different idea of how to do things because they help us to think outside of the box and they can solve problems that involve going against conventional wisdom.

But dreams help us to think differently because the prefrontal cortex, which is associated with habits and learned...

Whether you’re flying through the sky, falling from a twelve-story building or having a romantic relationship with your neighbour, dreams are a window into a world without constraints. The barriers in our everyday life don’t exist. Some parts of our dream world appear realistic, but others are to...

Dreaming also prepares us for social interactions. Positive and neutral dreams may help hone our social cognition and perception. We are very rarely alone in our dream world, so these dreams help us to rehearse social interaction.

It wouldn’t make sense for dreams not to have meaning becaus...

Dreaming is just thinking but in a different brain state. Defining its purpose depends on what you’re dreaming about.

We agonize about many of the same things when we’re sleeping as when we’re awake, like relationships, work issues, hopes and fears, she says. Dreams are different, but the c...