Sharing your dreams can improve your relationships

When was the last time you told someone about a dream you had? For me it was last week, and it involved being chased by a giant gut down the street and me not being able to get away from it. I concede this is also very similar to a Reebok advert from a decade ago.    

But while you're pondering on the significance of giant bellies bouncing through dreams, new research suggests that sharing these little jaunts into our subconscious has a whole host of positive impacts on us and the people around us.

Dream teams 💭

Over at Swansea University Sleep Laboratory, recent research shows that sharing your dreams and listening to other people’s dreams can help to improve your empathy levels.

Researchers also found when people share dreams with each other, the person discussing their dream significantly increases their empathy towards the person they are sharing the dream with.

The reason, they say, is because dreams often represent emotional aspects of ourselves that aren't managed and controlled by our waking mind, giving listeners an opportunity to hear about what lies beneath. They also found the person sharing the dream often had new insights into themselves as a result of the experience.

The team at Swansea is so enamoured with the power of these dream chats, they set up DreamsID, a meetup group where artist Dr. Julia Lockhear paints people's dreams.

While that all sounds very lovely, nobody needs to see a 10-foot belly bouncing the street, no matter how artistic it is.