Typical Dreams: A Comparison of Dreams Across Cultures

Have you ever wondered how the content of your dreams differs from that of your friends? How about the dreams of people raised in different countries and cultures? It is not always easy to compare dreams of distinct individuals because the content of dreams depends on our personal experiences. This is why dream researchers have developed standardized dream questionnaires in which common thematic elements are grouped together. These questionnaires can be translated into various languages and used to survey and scientifically analyze the content of dreams. Open-ended questions about dreams might elicit free form, subjective answers that are difficult to categorize and analyze. Therefore, standardized dream questionnaires ask study subjects, “Have you ever dreamed of …” and provide research subjects with a list of defined dream themes such as being chased, flying, or falling.