研究:做"清醒夢"的人越來越多

Is film Inception a reality? Studies suggest 'lucid dreams' where we control the action are on the rise.

It is the stuff of a Hollywood movie: a dreamworld that can be manipulated at will. But for more and more of us, it is becoming a reality, with the number of people experiencing lucid dreams rising rapidly.

In the blockbuster film, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page stroll through a dreamworld where they are able to bend streets into the sky, walk up wall and destroy a cafe by the force of will.

While the plot of a lucid dream may not be as dramatic, the process is similar. Someone having a lucid dream realises they are dreaming and may from then on in ‘direct’ the action. Alternatively, they may simply ‘watch’ the dream unfold.

The sense of awareness makes it different from a dream that is simply extremely vivid and true to life. And while the description may seem bizarre, the process is far from alien to many of us.

Studies suggest that the number of people in the Western world experiencing the occasional lucid dream has risen by between 10 and 40 per cent since the 1980s. Today, they are so common that about one in eight of us will have one in our lives. Despite this, little is known about what triggers them - or what is behind the rise.

Research carried out at the respected Harvard University in the US showed the brain to be hard at work during lucid dreams. In fact, the level of mental activity in some parts of the brain was similar to that of an awake person.

Lucid dreamers seem to share certain personality traits. For instance, they are creative but also problem orientated and believe in personal responsibility rather that letting society carry the can.

Scientists of course, do not know the function of dreams in general, far less that of lucid ones.

Our nightmares may reflect our waking concerns, with the five most common themes falling, being chased, feeling paralysed, being late, and the death of a loved one.

Men are more likely to have nightmares about violence or being sacked while bereavement and sexual harassment crop up more in women’s nightmares. Dreams about hair and tooth loss are also more common in women - perhaps signifying anxieties about losing their looks.

Previous research has found that women have more nightmares than men. Their dreams are also more intense and leave more of an impression when they wake up.

電影《盜夢空間》存在於現實中嗎？研究顯示，做可以自主控制的“清醒夢”的人正在增多。

這是在一部好萊塢電影中發生的事，在那裏夢境可以被隨意操縱。但對我們當中越來越多的人來說，隨着做清醒夢的人數迅速增多，這一情節正在成爲現實。

在這部賣座大片中，萊昂納多•迪卡普里奧和愛倫•佩基可以在夢境中漫步，在那裏，憑藉意志力，他們能夠使街道立起來，能在牆上行走，也可以摧毀咖啡屋。

雖然清醒夢的情節可能不像電影中那麼戲劇化，但其過程是相似的。有些處於清醒夢中的人意識到他們在做夢，可能就此開始“指揮”自己的行動。或者，他們也許只是“靜觀”夢境的上演。

這種知道自己在做夢的意識讓清醒夢有別於一個只是非常生動逼真的夢。也許這一描述看似怪誕，但對我們中的許多人來說，這個過程卻一點也不陌生。

許多研究表明，自二十世紀八十年代以來，西方國家中偶爾做清醒夢的人的數量上升了10%到40%。現如今，做清醒夢已經十分普遍，我們當中有八分之一的人都做過清醒夢。儘管如此，幾乎沒人知道是什麼引發了清醒夢，或瞭解爲什麼做清醒夢的人會增多。

在美國名校哈佛大學開展的研究顯示，在做清醒夢期間，大腦也在辛勤工作。事實上，大腦某些部位的活動水平同清醒時的腦力活動水平相當。

做清醒夢的人似乎有一些共同的個性特徵。例如，做清醒夢的人富有創造性但也容易產生問題，他們認爲個人應該承擔責任，而不會將問題扔給社會。

當然了，科學家們不清楚一般的夢的功能，更不知道清醒夢的功能。

我們所做的噩夢可能會反映出我們在清醒狀態所擔心的事情，其中五種最常見的夢境爲跌落、被人追趕、感到無法動彈、遲到以及親友的亡故。

男性的噩夢更多是關於暴力或被解僱，而喪親和性侵犯則更多地出現在女性的噩夢中。有關掉頭髮或掉牙的夢在女性的夢境中也更普遍，這可能預示着對容顏逝去的焦慮。

此前的一項研究發現女性做的噩夢比男性的多。她們的夢也更緊張，而且在她們醒來以後留下的印象更深。

Vocabulary:

Inception: 電影《盜夢空間》，inception的意思是“（機構、組織等的）開端，創始”。

lucid: able to think clearly（頭腦清晰的，清醒的）

blockbuster: something very successful, especially a very successful book or film/movie 一鳴驚人的事物；（尤指）非常成功的書（或電影）

carry the can: 承受責難，承擔責任

bereavement: the death of a relative or close friend（親友的喪亡）