Relationship between lucid dreaming, creativity and dream charakteristics

Abstract

Lucid dreaming is the ability of a dreamer to become aware that he is dreaming and to possibly change some aspects of his current dream. This ability is associated with higher creativity and a proclivity for divergent thinking. Between subjects, dreams have different characteristics, such as the incorporation of daytime events, aversive dream content, or dream recall frequency (DRF). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between lucid dreaming, creativity and dream characteristics (dream structure).  A total of 334 participants took part in an online study. The results show that lucid dreamers scored higher on the creative personality scale of the Adjective Checklist and reported a higher DRF than non-lucid dreamers. As to the dream structure, lucid dreamers were more likely to incorporate daytime events into their dreams, and their dreams had a higher personal significance than those of non-lucid dreamers. Furthermore, substantial gender differences were found in DRF and other dream characteristics. The results confirm the relationship between lucid dreaming and creativity and indicate that lucid dreamers differ from non-lucid dreamers in their general dream structure.