Differences between male and female brains such as, for example, logical thinking of men and increased intuition of women, are one of the favorite topics of debates and all kinds of jokes.

It turned out that men and women behave differently even in dreams. Thanks to the recent extensive research, experts have found out that men and women have different dreams.

In particular, when men have nightmares, they tend to see different kinds of disasters: floods, earthquakes, tsunamis. Also, they are often chased by a flock of birds and swarms of insects.

At the same time, women who have bad dreams tend to face social conflicts, such as quarrels with their loved ones. And they are much more afraid of being cheated on or losing love or friendship than suffering from physical injuries.

Dr. Genevieve Robert, a psychologist at the University of Montreal, analyzed the nightmares that lead to premature awakening in men and women and indicated gender differences when it comes to the content of dreams. She claims that men’s nightmares are more associated with accidents and natural disasters, while women’s dreams are more focused on interpersonal conflicts.

The study involved 572 volunteers who have been keeping a dream journal for a long time. As a result, approximately 10,000 records for the detailed study were in the hands of the experts.

According to the paper published in the journal Sleep, most of the recorded dreams met the theme of fear of violence, harassment, and failure. Different kinds of “evil forces” were also constantly present in the participants’ nightmares.

To the surprise of the experts, most people who experienced shame, guilt, or disgust in a dream watched their nightmares until the end and did not wake up in a cold sweat. The scientists estimate that about 5-6 percent of all people regularly see bad dreams.

Professor Anthony Zadra, one of the authors, said that, in fact, the reason why people do have dreams is insufficiently studied by psychologists. However, he expressed confidence that recurring nightmares can be treated by the technique of positive visualization.


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