Dreams have fascinated humanity for thousands of years: in ancient Egypt and Greece they were often seen as prophecies, even windows to the future. Artists such as Paul McCartney (80) and Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) are said to have imagined works of art.
But why do we dream? “Sleep is like a washing machine for the brain,” says neuroscientist Lutz Jäncke. Junk information is erased from memory. He sees dreams more as a by-product of this process.
Dreams play an important role at the CG Jung Institute in Küsnacht. Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), the founder of analytical psychology, saw dreams as the key to the self. Renate Daniel, program director of the CG Jung Institute, likes to work with dreams in her practice: “I see them as an unconscious commentary on situations we experience in waking consciousness.”
Daniel Erlacher sees a completely different benefit behind dreams – rather, behind lucid dreams, in which the person is aware that they are sleeping. A sports scientist at the University of Bern is researching whether you can improve your athletic performance while you sleep.
Is this really possible? Are dreams a byproduct of nighttime brain processes or subliminal messages? You can hear all about it in this episode of our information podcast “Perspective”.
Do you have a topic suggestion for the new season? Then send us an email to podcast@ringier.ch.