Remember the time when we… For some, dreams can feel like memories. This is more common than you may think.
For some people, old dreams can feel like real memories and this experience is referred to as ‘dream-reality confusion’. In two studies by researchers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, difficulty distinguishing dreaming and reality was reported by a substantial minority of participants (12 per cent in one study and 26 per cent in another).
It has been proposed by other teams of researchers that the experience is particularly common in certain participants (such as those with narcolepsy or borderline personality disorder).
Although there is relatively little research in this area, there are many hypotheses as to why this might occur. One possibility is that the dreams that are confused with reality are different from other dreams (they could be more vivid, for example).
For some people, old dreams can feel like real memories and this experience is referred to as ‘dream-reality confusion’. In two studies by researchers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, difficulty distinguishing dreaming and reality was reported by a substantial minority of participants (12 per cent in one study and 26 per cent in another).
It has been proposed by other teams of researchers that the experience is particularly common in certain participants (such as those with narcolepsy or borderline personality disorder).
Although there is relatively little research in this area, there are many hypotheses as to why this might occur. One possibility is that the dreams that are confused with reality are different from other dreams (they could be more vivid, for example).
Source: BBC News
