Dreams are subconscious, unreal occurrences in which we are thrown into a foreign world – or perhaps a familiar one – in our sleep, with no recollection of why or how we got there. Typically, the people that we interact with, the places we go, and the things we do are strange and unexplainable. Whether the dream contained our deepest wishes and desires, was a terrifying nightmare that displayed our worst fears, or one that appeared to be completely random, not relating at all to our current life, dreams are a mystery that continues to baffle scientists around the world.

Although there is a multitude of ideas about the causes and meanings of these strange sleep-visions, the truth about them is unknown. Medical News Today has come up with some possible explanations for why we dream: to represent unconscious desires and wishes, to interpret random signals from the brain and body during sleep, to consolidate and process information gathered during the day, or to work as a form of psychotherapy. They have also determined that there is a difference among women’s dreams compared to men’s dreams; women’s dreams contain more family members, babies, children, and indoor settings compared to men. In response to this, Nadir Wright ’17 stated, “Yes, that makes sense, because women tend to spend more time in the home watching their families. However, that is subject to change now that more and more women are partaking in professions.” Mary Agne ’18 says, “Women tend to be better at connecting emotionally with others than men are, so I understand why women’s dreams relate more to family life.” Scientists have found that gender difference is not the only cause of dream differentiation among people; age may play a strong role as well.

Studies have shown that aging has an effect on dreams as well. Once people reach adulthood, their dreams become less intense, and it becomes more difficult to recall them upon waking. Although there is not enough evidence in the local Wilmington Friends community to draw conclusions, a few teachers have shared their personal experience with dreams as they have aged. Mrs. Johnson, upper school Biology teacher, states, “It is hard for me to say whether or not my dreams are more or less intense than they were when I was a child. However, I can still remember my dreams when I wake up as well as I could when I was a child.” Different studies have concluded that due to brain aging, for many people dreams will mellow out and become harder to remember. Of course, there are always exceptions.

Although there are speculations, the scientific meaning behind dreams is unknown. Jack Hanson ’18, believes that sometimes dreams display the future. Hanson says, “I remember one time when I was a kid, I had dream of me playing on a playground with some friends, and within the next two weeks, I was on the same playground with the same friends in real life.” Many dream interpreters discuss theories that suggest dreams can in fact be predictive, but, as a Health Guidance article suggests, “None of these theories explicitly explain how dreams might accurately predict the future and any theory that does would have to work with them.” The only evidence of dreams being predictive is stories, not science. One story in particular provides historical evidence of a dream being predictive. In the 1960s, an incident occurred in Whales in which a mudslide buried a school, killing dozens of people. Sixty people reported that before the incident, they had dreams predicting it. Although this is an interesting idea, there is still no scientific evidence to prove it.

So, if it is not science, is it God? Some people believe that dreams pertain to the soul and spirit of a human being. The Church of the Great God explains, “The Bible reveals that in times past servants of God were given visions and dreams for specific reasons and/or to convey special messages.” This suggests that God sent messages to his prophets through visions in their dreams.

As of now, the causes and meanings of dreams are unknown, but as medical technology continues to progress, perhaps there will be a breakthrough before we know it. Wilmington Friends student Isabel Crowther ’17, said: “I am so excited for the future, because hopefully scientists will figure out the unknowns about dreams.” If not, we will have to continue living with the fascinating, obscure mystery of our strange night visions.