Are lucid dreamers more intelligent?

According to a psychology study (1), lucid dreamers are more insightful and better at problem-solving than people who don't lucid dream.

The study, conducted by Dr Patrick Bourke and Hannah Shaw at the Lincoln School of Psychology, UK, examined 68 participants aged 18-25 who experienced varying degrees of lucid dreaming.

The were split into three sets of participants:

  • Frequent lucid dreamers
  • Occasional lucid dreamers
  • Non-lucid dreamers

They were all given problem-related tasks to solve. Lucid dreamers performed much better than non-lucid dreamers, with frequent lucid dreamers solving 25% more problems than the non-lucid dreaming segment.

The authors of the study concluded:

This suggests that the insight experienced during the dream state may relate to the same underlying cognition needed for insight in the waking state.

Based on this, some described the personality of lucid dreamers as 'socially bold, dominant, experimenting, enthusiastic and warm'. 

References

1. Bourke, P., & Shaw, H. (2014). Spontaneous lucid dreaming frequency and waking insight. Dreaming, 24(2), 152–159. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036908

Featured image by Ryan Jacobson on Unsplash.com

Free Worldwide Shipping
30-Day Guarantee
24/7 Customer Support