Daytime emotional suppression does not affect the emotional tone of dreams
People tend to experience fewer positive emotions and more negative emotions in their dreams than while awake. However, hiding feelings during the day does not seem to change the emotional intensity of a person's dreams.
A recent study published in the journal Dreaming challenges the notion that emotional suppression during the day affects the emotional tone of dreams. Researchers found that people who frequently suppress their emotions during waking hours do not experience more intense negative dreams or less intense positive dreams compared to those who express their feelings freely.
The study, conducted by Yui Yoshioka at Kyoto University, investigated whether emotional suppression drives the observed disconnect between waking life's positivity and dream life's negativity. The researchers recruited 76 adults, divided them into high and low emotional suppression groups, and monitored their emotional experiences through a seven-day diary survey.
Participants rated their emotions on an eight-point scale during the day and upon waking up to describe their dreams. Despite a general trend showing more intense positive emotions during wakefulness and increased negative emotions in dreams, the study found no significant difference in dream emotion intensity between the two groups.
The only behavioral difference was that individuals with lower emotional suppression tendencies were more likely to discuss their dreams with others. The researchers caution against overinterpreting the findings, pointing out potential limitations in measuring internal suppression and cultural influences on emotional expression.
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