Cited by 676Sleep and Wakefulness ResearchSleep and related disordersPsychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 1,405 of the 1,410 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The reinterpretation of dreams: An evolutionary hypothesis of the function of dreaming

Revonsuo, Antti·2000·Behavioral and Brain Sciences

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Several theories claim that dreaming is a random by-product of REM sleep physiology and that it does not serve any natural function. Phenomenal dream content, however, is not as disorganized as such views imply. The form and content of dreams is not random but organized and selective: during dreaming, the brain constructs a complex model of the world in which certain types of elements, when compared to waking life, are underrepresented whereas others are over represented. Furthermore, dream content is consistently and powerfully modulated by certain types of waking experiences. On the basis of this evidence, I put forward the hypothesis that the biological function of dreaming is to simulate threatening events, and to rehearse threat perception and threat avoidance. To evaluate this hypothesis, we need to consider the original evolutionary context of dreaming and the possible traces it has left in the dream content of the present human population. In the ancestral environment human life was short and full of threats. Any behavioral advantage in dealing with highly dangerous events would have increased the probability of reproductive success. A dream-production mechanism that tends to select threatening waking events and simulate them over and over again in various combinations would have been valuable for the development and maintenance of threat-avoidance skills. Empirical evidence from normative dream content, children's dreams, recurrent dreams, nightmares, post traumatic dreams, and the dreams of hunter-gatherers indicates that our dream-production mechanisms are in fact specialized in the simulation of threatening events, and thus provides support to the threat simulation hypothesis of the function of dreaming.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1017/s0140525x00004015

Cites

1405 of 1405 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases
Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1975) · Utility, Probability, and Human Decision Making · doi:10.1007/978-94-010-1834-0_8 · Cited by 22,650
Neural networks and physical systems with emergent collective computational abilities.
Hopfield, J. J. (1982) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.79.8.2554 · Cited by 19,270
Untitled work
(1969) · Cited by 18,340
The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information.
Miller, G. A. (1994) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/0033-295x.101.2.343 · Cited by 17,559
A manual for standardized terminology, techniques and scoring system for sleep stages in human subjects
Rechtschaffen, A. (1968) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 11,772
Construct validity in psychological tests.
Cronbach, L. J., & Meehl, P. E. (1955) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/h0040957 · Cited by 11,195
Principles of neural science
(1982) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/0166-2236(82)90076-5 · Cited by 9,150
Self-Organization and Associative Memory
Kohonen, T. (1989) · Springer Series in Information Sciences · doi:10.1007/978-3-642-88163-3 · Cited by 8,740
The spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian paradigm: a critique of the adaptationist programme
Gould, S. J., & Lewontin, R. C. (1979) · Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.1979.0086 · Cited by 7,770
The Logic of Scientific Discovery
Bhaskar, R. (2013) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780203090732-9 · Cited by 7,765

Show all 1,410 references

Sorted by citations

Items 101–200 of 675

Dream to Predict? REM Dreaming as Prospective Coding
Llewellyn, S. (2016) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01961 · Cited by 45
Trait And Neurobiological Correlates Of Individual Differences In Dream Recall And Dream Content
Blagrove, M., & Pace-Schott, E. F. (2010) · International review of neurobiology · doi:10.1016/s0074-7742(10)92008-4 · Cited by 50
Nightmares as a coping mechanism for stress.
Picchioni, D., Goeltzenleucher, B., Green, D. N., Convento, M. J., Crittenden, R., Hallgren, M., & Hicks, R. A. (2002) · Dreaming · doi:10.1023/a:1020118425588 · Cited by 43
Mental Sleep Activity and Disturbing Dreams in the Lifespan
Scarpelli, S., Bartolacci, C., D’Atri, A., Gorgoni, M., & De Gennaro, L. (2019) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph16193658 · Cited by 41
“…memory consolidation processes [10], in PTSD or nightmares su ﬀ erers as well as in “stressed” people, it could promote the simulation of a new reality, where the daytime-traumatic contents would be modiﬁed or integrated with coping strategies and items that help problem-solving mechanisms [231].”
How our Dreams Changed During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Effects and Correlates of Dream Recall Frequency - a Multinational Study on 19,355 Adults
Fränkl, E., Scarpelli, S., Nadorff, M. R., Bjorvatn, B., Bolstad, C. J., Chan, N. Y., Chung, F. F., Dauvilliers, Y. A., Espie, C. A., Inoue, Y., et al. (2021) · Nature and Science of Sleep · doi:10.2147/nss.s324142 · Cited by 42
Sleeping Paranoia Away? An Actigraphy and Experience-Sampling Study with Adolescents
Hennig, T., & Lincoln, T. M. (2017) · Child Psychiatry & Human Development · doi:10.1007/s10578-017-0729-9 · Cited by 45
The Religious Content of Dreams: A New Scientific Foundation
Bulkeley, K. (2008) · Pastoral Psychology · doi:10.1007/s11089-008-0180-8 · Cited by 41
Dream characteristics in a Brazilian sample: an online survey focusing on lucid dreaming
Mota-Rolim, S. A., Targino, Z. H., Souza, B. C., Blanco, W., Araújo, J. F., & Ribeiro, S. T. G. (2013) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00836 · Cited by 43
A phenomenological analysis of the subjective experience elicited by ibogaine in the context of a drug dependence treatment
Schenberg, E. E., Comis, M. A. D. C., Alexandre, J. F. M., Tófoli, L. F., Chaves, B. R., & da Silveira, D. X. (2017) · Journal of Psychedelic Studies · doi:10.1556/2054.01.2017.007 · Cited by 40
Trauma, dreaming, and psychological distress among Kurdish children.
Punamäki, R.-L., Ali, K. J., Ismahil, K. H., & Nuutinen, J. (2005) · Dreaming · doi:10.1037/1053-0797.15.3.178 · Cited by 39
Born to adapt, but not in your dreams
Mulder, T. W., Hochstenbach, J. B. H., Dijkstra, P. U., & Geertzen, J. H. B. (2007) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2007.04.001 · Cited by 38
Sleep and school education
Ribeiro, S., & Stickgold, R. (2014) · Trends in Neuroscience and Education · doi:10.1016/j.tine.2014.02.004 · Cited by 37
Chronic Nightmares After Severe Burns: Risk Factors and Implications for Treatment
Low, J. F. A., Dyster‐Aas, J., Willebrand, M., Kildal, M., Gerdin, B., & Ekselius, L. (2003) · Journal of Burn Care & Rehabilitation · doi:10.1097/01.bcr.0000075847.26303.37 · Cited by 37
Dreams are more negative than real life: Implications for the function of dreaming
Valli, K., Strandholm, T., Sillanmäki, L. H., & Revonsuo, A. (2008) · Cognition & Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699930701541591 · Cited by 46
Electroencephalographic and autonomic alterations in subjects with frequent nightmares during pre-and post-REM periods
Simor, P., Körmendi, J., Horváth, K., Gombos, F., Ujma, P. P., & Bódizs, R. (2014) · Brain and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2014.08.004 · Cited by 36
Recontextualizing Anthropomorphic Metaphors in Organization Studies
Schoeneborn, D., Blaschke, S., & Kaufmann, I. M. (2012) · Journal of Management Inquiry · doi:10.1177/1056492612448463 · Cited by 36
The influence of impactful dreams on self-perceptual depth and spiritual transformation.
Kuiken, D., Lee, M.-N., Eng, T., & Singh, T. (2006) · Dreaming · doi:10.1037/1053-0797.16.4.258 · Cited by 36
The role of the basolateral amygdala in dreaming
Blake, Y., Terburg, D., Balchin, R., van Honk, J., & Solms, M. (2019) · Cortex · doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2018.12.016 · Cited by 33
Dreams, emotions, and social sharing of dreams
Curci, A., & Rimé, B. (2007) · Cognition & Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699930701274102 · Cited by 36
Neurobiology of Dreaming
Pace-Schott, E. F., & Picchioni, D. (2016) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-24288-2.00051-9 · Cited by 37
Dream Motif Scale.
Yu, C. K.-C. (2011) · Dreaming · doi:10.1037/a0026171 · Cited by 33
Why people die in novels: testing the ordeal simulation hypothesis
Morin, O., Acerbi, A., & Sobchuk, O. (2019) · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · doi:10.1057/s41599-019-0267-0 · Cited by 38
The impact of September 11 on dreaming
Bulkeley, K., & Kahan, T. L. (2008) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2008.07.001 · Cited by 34
Contextualized emotional images in children's dreams: Psychological adjustment in conditions of military trauma
Helminen, E., & Punamäki, R. (2008) · International Journal of Behavioral Development · doi:10.1177/0165025408089267 · Cited by 43
Dream Interpretation from a Cognitive and Cultural Evolutionary Perspective: The Case of Oneiromancy in Traditional China
Hong, Z. (2022) · Cognitive Science · doi:10.1111/cogs.13088 · Cited by 34
Dreaming during anaesthesia in adult patients
Leslie, K., & Skrzypek, H. (2007) · Best practice & research. Clinical anaesthesiology · doi:10.1016/j.bpa.2007.05.003 · Cited by 32
Dream recall frequency is associated with medial prefrontal cortex white-matter density
Vallat, R., Eichenlaub, J.-B., Nicolas, A., & Ruby, P. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01856 · Cited by 31
Incidence of threat in dreams: a response to revonsuo’s threat simulation theory
Malcolm-Smith, S., & Solms, M. (2004) · Dreaming · doi:10.1037/1053-0797.14.4.220 · Cited by 30
Dynamic system perspectives on anxiety and depression
Jeronimus, B. F. (2019) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781315165844-7 · Cited by 32
Mental Violence: The COVID-19 Nightmare
Musse, F. C. C., Castro, L. D. S., Sousa, K. M. M., Mestre, T. F., Teixeira, C. D. M., Pelloso, S. M., Poyares, D. R., & Carvalho, M. D. D. B. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.579289 · Cited by 33
NREM sleep spindles are associated with dream recall
Nielsen, T., Carr, M., Blanchette-Carrière, C., Marquis, L.-P., Dumel, G., Solomonova, E., Julien, S.-H., Picard-Deland, C., & Paquette, T. (2017) · Sleep Spindles & Cortical Up States · doi:10.1556/2053.1.2016.003 · Cited by 30
The near-death experience: A testable neural model.
Lake, J. (2016) · Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice · doi:10.1037/cns0000099 · Cited by 31
Dream rebound of suppressed emotional thoughts: The influence of cognitive load
Bryant, R. A., Wyzenbeek, M., & Weinstein, J. (2010) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2010.11.004 · Cited by 30
Threat in dreams: An adaptation?
Malcolm‐Smith, S., Solms, M., Turnbull, O. H., & Tredoux, C. G. (2007) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2007.07.002 · Cited by 30
The Belief in Magic in the Age of Science
Subbotsky, E. V. (2014) · SAGE Open · doi:10.1177/2158244014521433 · Cited by 31
Nightmare content during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Influence of COVID‐related stress and sleep disruption in the United States
Kennedy, K. E. R., Bastien, C., Ruby, P. M., Killgore, W. D. S., Wills, C. C. A., & Grandner, M. A. (2021) · Journal of Sleep Research · doi:10.1111/jsr.13439 · Cited by 28
Sleep and Emotional Functions
Perogamvros, L., & Schwartz, S. (2013) · Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · doi:10.1007/7854_2013_271 · Cited by 29
The golden age of rapid eye movement sleep discoveries. 1. Lucretius—1964
Gottesmann, C. (2001) · Progress in Neurobiology · doi:10.1016/s0301-0082(01)00014-4 · Cited by 30
Do Dolphins Rehearse Show-Stimuli When at Rest? Delayed Matching of Auditory Memory
Kremers, D., Jaramillo, M. B., Böye, M., Lemasson, A., & Hausberger, M. (2011) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00386 · Cited by 28
Dream content of Canadian males from adolescence to old age: An exploration of ontogenetic patterns
Dale, A., Lafrenière, A., & Koninck, J. D. (2017) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2017.01.008 · Cited by 29
The effects of the tree-to-ground sleep transition in the evolution of cognition in early Homo
Coolidge, F. L., & Wynn, T. (2006) · Before Farming · doi:10.3828/bfarm.2006.4.11 · Cited by 28
Dreams and Nightmares in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Mellman, T. A., & Pigeon, W. R. (2011) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-1-4160-6645-3.00053-0 · Cited by 28
The dreaming brain/mind, consciousness and psychosis
Limosani, I., D’Agostino, A., Manzone, M. L., & Scarone, S. (2011) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2010.11.014 · Cited by 28
Will students pass a competitive exam that they failed in their dreams?
Arnulf, I., Grosliere, L., Le Corvec, T., Golmard, J.-L., Lascols, O., & Duguet, A. (2014) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2014.06.010 · Cited by 27
Toward a Rule-Based Model of Human Choice: On the Nature of Homo Constitutionalus
Congleton, R. D. (2018) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-03080-3_34 · Cited by 27
Systematic review: REM sleep, dysphoric dreams and nightmares as transdiagnostic features of psychiatric disorders with emotion dysregulation - Clinical implications
Mendoza-Alvarez, M., Balthasar, Y., Verbraecken, J. A., Claes, L., Someren, E. J. W. V., van Marle, H. J. F., Vandekerckhove, M. M. P., & Picker, L. D. (2024) · Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2024.12.037 · Cited by 29
Disturbed dreaming and emotion dysregulation
Levin, R., Fireman, G., & Nielsen, T. (2010) · Sleep Medicine Clinics · doi:10.1016/j.jsmc.2010.01.006 · Cited by 26
Sleep and Dreaming in the Predictive Processing Framework
Bucci, A., & Grasso, M. (2017) · Iris (Roma Tre University) · doi:10.15502/9783958573079 · Cited by 27
Sleep and dreaming in the light of reactive and predictive homeostasis
Simor, P., Peigneux, P., & Bódizs, R. (2023) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105104 · Cited by 34
Content analysis of dreams and waking narratives.
Maggiolini, A., Cagnin, C., Crippa, F., Persico, A., & Rizzi, P. (2010) · Dreaming · doi:10.1037/a0018824 · Cited by 26
What Dreaming can Reveal about Cognitive and Brain Functions During Sleep? A Lexico-Statistical Analysis of Dream Reports
Schwartz, S. (2004) · Psychologica Belgica · doi:10.5334/pb.1015 · Cited by 26
Music in dreams
Uga, V., Lemut, M. C., Zampi, C., Zilli, I., & Salzarulo, P. (2005) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2005.09.003 · Cited by 28
Does COVID-19 impact the frequency of threatening events in dreams? An exploration of pandemic dreaming in light of contemporary dream theories
Wang, J., Zemmelman, S. E., Hong, D., Feng, X., & Shen, H. (2020) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2020.103051 · Cited by 24
A Revision of Freud’s Theory of the Biological Origin of the Oedipus Complex
Solms, M. (2021) · The Psychoanalytic Quarterly · doi:10.1080/00332828.2021.1984153 · Cited by 26
Memory reactivations during sleep: a neural basis of dream experiences?
Picard‐Deland, C., Bernardi, G., Genzel, L., Dresler, M., & Schoch, S. F. (2023) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2023.02.006 · Cited by 37
Increased Reward-Related Behaviors during Sleep and Wakefulness in Sleepwalking and Idiopathic Nightmares
Perogamvros, L., Aberg, K., Gex-Fabry, M., Perrig, S., Cloninger, C. R., & Schwartz, S. (2015) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0134504 · Cited by 25
Nightmares and Nightmare Function
Nielsen, T., & Carr, M. (2016) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-24288-2.00053-2 · Cited by 28
How to test the threat-simulation theory
Revonsuo, A., & Valli, K. (2008) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2008.01.007 · Cited by 25
The Involvement of Noradrenaline in Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Mentation
Gottesmann, C. (2011) · Frontiers in Neurology · doi:10.3389/fneur.2011.00081 · Cited by 25
What are the underlying units of perceived animacy? Chasing detection is intrinsically object-based
van Buren, B. F., Gao, T., & Scholl, B. J. (2017) · Psychonomic Bulletin & Review · doi:10.3758/s13423-017-1229-4 · Cited by 24
Are dreams social simulations? Or are they enactments of conceptions and personal concerns? An empirical and theoretical comparison of two dream theories.
Domhoff, G. W., & Schneider, A. (2018) · Dreaming · doi:10.1037/drm0000080 · Cited by 24
Modulating dream experience: Noninvasive brain stimulation over the sensorimotor cortex reduces dream movement
Noreika, V., Windt, J., Kern, M., Valli, K., Salonen, T., Parkkola, R. K., Revonsuo, A., Karim, A. A., Ball, T., & Lenggenhager, B. (2020) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-63479-6 · Cited by 21
The relationship between video game play and threat simulation dreams.
Gackenbach, J., & Kuruvilla, B. (2008) · Dreaming · doi:10.1037/a0013782 · Cited by 27
Seeking patterns in dream content: A systematic approach to word searches
Bulkeley, K. (2009) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2009.08.005 · Cited by 25
Phenomenological features of dreams: Results from dream log studies using the Subjective Experiences Rating Scale (SERS)
Kahan, T. L., & Claudatos, S. A. (2016) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2016.02.007 · Cited by 31
Fear in dreams and in wakefulness: Evidence for day/night affective homeostasis
Sterpenich, V, Perogamvros, L., Tononi, G., & Schwartz, S. (2019) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/534099 · Cited by 99
Dream Theory and Science: A Review
Givrad, S. (2016) · Psychoanalytic Inquiry · doi:10.1080/07351690.2016.1145967 · Cited by 23
The Characteristics and Prevalence of Dream Bizarreness, Inter-individual Differences and Their Relation to Quality of Life
Németh, G., & Bányai, E. I. (2021) · Behavioral Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1080/15402002.2021.1873139 · Cited by 26
Not a HOT Dream
Sebastián, M. Á. (2013) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-94-007-6001-1_29 · Cited by 24
Evidence of an active role of dreaming in emotional memory processing shows that we dream to forget
Zhang, J., Pena, A., Delano, N., Sattari, N. S., Shuster, A. E., Baker, F. C., Simon, K. C. N. S., & Mednick, S. C. (2024) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-58170-z · Cited by 37
Continuity between waking life and dreams of psychiatric patients A review and discussion of the implications for dream research
Skancke, J. F., Holsen, I., & Schredl, M. (2014) · International journal of dream research · doi:10.11588/ijodr.2014.1.12184 · Cited by 26
Dreaming and schizophrenia: A common neurobiological background
Gottesmann, C. (2005) · Sleep and Biological Rhythms · doi:10.1111/j.1479-8425.2005.00164.x · Cited by 22
What are the neural mechanisms and physiological functions of dreams?
Tsunematsu, T. (2023) · Neuroscience Research · doi:10.1016/j.neures.2022.12.017 · Cited by 22
Lockdown dreams: Dream content and emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic in an italian sample.
Giovanardi, G., Bincoletto, A. F., Baiocco, R., Ferrari, M., Gentile, D., Siri, M., Tanzilli, A., & Lingiardi, V. (2021) · Psychoanalytic Psychology · doi:10.1037/pap0000385 · Cited by 24
Video game play as nightmare protection: A preliminary inquiry with military gamers.
Gackenbach, J., Ellerman, E., & Hall, C. (2011) · Dreaming · doi:10.1037/a0024972 · Cited by 22
Testing the Empathy Theory of Dreaming: The Relationships Between Dream Sharing and Trait and State Empathy
Blagrove, M., Hale, S., Lockheart, J., Carr, M., Jones, A. L., & Valli, K. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01351 · Cited by 29
Dream Analysis and Classification: The Reality Simulation Perspective
Nielsen, T. (2010) · Cited by 22
The Defensive Activation Theory: REM Sleep as a Mechanism to Prevent Takeover of the Visual Cortex
Eagleman, D. M., & Vaughn, D. A. (2021) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2021.632853 · Cited by 22
A Spillover Model of Dreams and Work Behavior: How Dream Meaning Ascription Promotes Awe and Employee Resilience
Belinda, C. D., & Christian, M. S. (2022) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2021.0377 · Cited by 24
From active escapism to virtual withdrawal: Validation of the Compensatory-Dissociative Online Gaming scales (C-DOGs)
Giardina, A., Fournier, L., Starčević, V., King, D. L., Blasi, M. D., Schimmenti, A., & Billieux, J. (2024) · Journal of Behavioral Addictions · doi:10.1556/2006.2024.00059 · Cited by 19
A new theoretical approach to the functional meaning of sleep and dreaming in humans based on the maintenance of ‘predictive psychic homeostasis’
Agnati, L. F., Barlow, P. W., Baluška, F., Tonin, P., Guescini, M., Leo, G., & Fuxé, K. (2011) · Communicative & Integrative Biology · doi:10.4161/cib.17602 · Cited by 21
Approach/avoidance in dreams
Malcolm‐Smith, S., Koopowitz, S., Pantelis, E., & Solms, M. (2011) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2011.11.004 · Cited by 20
Children's dreams and nightmares: Emerging trends in research.
Siegel, A. B. (2005) · Dreaming · doi:10.1037/1053-0797.15.3.147 · Cited by 20
Distinguishing continuity/discontinuity, function and insight when investigating dream content
Blagrove, M. (2011) · International journal of dream research · doi:10.11588/ijodr.2011.2.9153 · Cited by 22
Strategic planning theory: An institutional perspective
Tambovtsev, V. L., & Rozhdestvenskaya, I. (2020) · Terra Economicus · doi:10.18522/2073-6606-2020-18-2-22-48 · Cited by 19
Relationships between Dream and Previous Wake Emotions Assessed through the Italian Modified Differential Emotions Scale
Conte, F., Cellini, N., Rosa, O. D., Caputo, A., Malloggi, S., Coppola, A., Albinni, B., Cerasuolo, M., Giganti, F., Marcone, R., et al. (2020) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci10100690 · Cited by 21
The Presence of Nightmares as a Screening Tool for Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Burn Survivors
Low, A., Dyster‐Aas, J., Kildal, M., Ekselius, L., Gerdin, B., & Willebrand, M. (2006) · Journal of Burn Care & Research · doi:10.1097/01.bcr.0000238092.57817.7a · Cited by 20
Restricted truncal sagittal movements of rapid eye movement behaviour disorder
Wasserman, D., Gullone, S., Duncan, I., Veronese, M., Gnoni, V., Higgins, S., Birdseye, A., Gelegen, E. C., Goadsby, P. J., Ashkan, K., et al. (2022) · npj Parkinson's Disease · doi:10.1038/s41531-022-00292-0 · Cited by 18
The origin of REM sleep: A hypothesis.
Tsoukalas, I. (2012) · Dreaming · doi:10.1037/a0030790 · Cited by 18
Dreaming of electric sheep? Exploring the functions of dream-like mechanisms in the development of mental imagery simulations
Svensson, H., Thill, S., & Ziemke, T. (2013) · Adaptive Behavior · doi:10.1177/1059712313491295 · Cited by 18
The Neuroscience of Sleep and Dreams
McNamara, P. (2019) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781316817094 · Cited by 21
Recurrent dreams: Recurring threat simulations?
Valli, K., & Revonsuo, A. (2005) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2005.05.001 · Cited by 18
Earliest remembered dreams.
Bulkeley, K., Broughton, B., Sanchez, A., & Stiller, J. (2005) · Dreaming · doi:10.1037/1053-0797.15.3.205 · Cited by 18
Association of lucid dreaming frequency with Stroop task performance.
Blagrove, M., Bell, E. E., & Wilkinson, A. (2010) · Dreaming · doi:10.1037/a0020881 · Cited by 17
Theories of dreaming and lucid dreaming: An integrative review towards sleep, dreaming and consciousness
Zink, N., & Pietrowsky, R. (2015) · International journal of dream research · doi:10.11588/ijodr.2015.1.17811 · Cited by 17
The Effects of Sleep Quality on Dream and Waking Emotions
Conte, F., Cellini, N., Rosa, O. D., Rescott, M. L., Malloggi, S., Giganti, F., & Ficca, G. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18020431 · Cited by 17
Dreaming during the COVID-19 pandemic: A narrative review
Gorgoni, M., Scarpelli, S., Alfonsi, V., & Gennaro, L. D. (2022) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104710 · Cited by 18
Freud's Dream Interpretation: A Different Perspective Based on the Self-Organization Theory of Dreaming
Zhang, W., & Guo, B. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01553 · Cited by 17
The nature and varieties of felt presence experiences: A reply to Nielsen
Cheyne, J. A., & Girard, T. A. (2007) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2007.02.003 · Cited by 17
The ability to self-tickle following Rapid Eye Movement sleep dreaming
Blagrove, M., Blakemore, S., & Thayer, B. R. J. (2005) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2005.06.007 · Cited by 18

Authors: Revonsuo, A.
Affiliations: University of Turku (FI)
Corresponding author: Revonsuo, Antti
ORCID: Revonsuo, Antti
Venue: Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published: 2000-12
Volume: 23
Issue: 6
Pages: 877-901
ISSN: 0140-525X (ISSN-L)
1469-1825
DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x00004015
OpenAlex: W2110375253
Cited by: 676
References: 1,410
Citations by year: 2026: 22 · 2025: 55 · 2024: 34 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 46 · 2021: 49 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 43 · 2018: 28 · 2017: 38 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 25 · 2013: 31 · 2012: 20
FWCI: 3.19
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified, 294 d)
Locations: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
Keywords: evolutionary hypothesis, REM sleep, dream content, threat avoidance, threat perception, nightmares, children's dreams
MeSH terms: Animals, Arousal, Brain, Dreams, Biological Evolution, Fear, Humans, Learning, Problem Solving, Psychophysiology, Wakefulness

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

The reinterpretation of dreams: An evolutionary hypothesis of the function of dreaming

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Related

Metadata

Record

About these checks