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Dreams Actually Virtual Reality Threat Simulation?
Time Slows Down writes "Psychology Today has an interesting story on a new theory of why we dream. Finnish psychologist Antti Revonsuo believes that dreams are a sort of nighttime theater in which our brains screen realistic scenarios simulating emergency situations and providing an arena for safe training. 'The primary function of negative dreams is rehearsal for similar real events, so that threat recognition and avoidance happens faster and more automatically in comparable real situations,' he says. We have 300 to 1,000 threat dreams per year — one to four per night and just under half are aggressive encounters: physical aggression such as fistfights, and nonphysical aggression such as verbal arguments. Faced with actual life-or-death situations — traffic accidents, terrorist attacks, street assaults — people report entering a mode of calm, rapid response, reacting automatically, almost without thinking. Afterward, they often say the episode felt unreal, as if it were all a dream. 'Dreaming is a sensitive system that tries to pay much attention to the threatening cues in our environment,' Revonsuo says. 'Their function is to protect and prepare us.'"
Last night while I was dreaming of playing poker with Einstein and Hawking and an anthropomorphic Zebra, I stopped and thought "This is really a great simulation of reality!" It got really interesting when the dancing elephants started circling our table. I feel far better prepared for life now.
Apparently my brain is exhaustively preparing me for the possibility that I'll drive to work naked.
> What struck him the most was how lifelike they were. "I would say to myself, in my dream, 'Oh shit! I've dreamt of this before, but now this is really happening!' " he recalls
I actually get that. And I thought I was like Isaac Mendez, now it just my brain running simulations. the fact my brain gets it rights shows how dull and predicable my life must be....
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Full-contact theological debate, evidently.
Maybe that's why I keep having that nightmare about turning on my Mac one day only to find it's suddenly running Vista!
So what about that dream where I'm naked at work and Jesus is fighting Nietzsche in pudding? What the hell is THAT training me for?
Coming out of the closet?
Developers: We can use your help.
You KNOW you've been wasting too much time on /. when your dreams get duped!
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
When I was a young child I had disturbing nightmares about scary monsters and falling.
Recently I had a dream about someone dinging my fender in traffic.
I guess that's the evolution of my reality:
From Earth shaking terror to bored annoyance.
Am I the only one bothered by the high occurence of slashdotters dreaming about themselves naked? Ewwww.
So you're saying that was a negative dream to you? And that your brain is preparing you for the threat of sex with Jessica Alba?
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Well, at least I'll be prepared when a witch tries to shepard soul crystals down a river with the hopes of winning favor from a god that, unbeknownst to her, is the father of the land's emperor and has already favored him instead, and I have to teleport into the emperor's aerial flagship to gather information. ;)
"Casual hello, it's me, Zoidberg, act naturally."
*leans back and holds pen and pad at the ready*
Tell me about your mother.
Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.