Our ability to control our thoughts is limited. For most people, it is quite difficult to focus on a specific topic, erase a certain scene from their mind at will, or even stop thinking altogether. Our stream of thoughts keeps flowing even during sleep, but oscillates from an almost complete lack of thought to elaborate and captivating narratives.
A group of scientists from the United States and Canada, including researchers specialized in the topic of lucid dreaming, Remington Mallett and Ken Paller, have hypothesized that increased cognitive control leads to a narrowing of the thinking trajectory. This is true both in waking life and in lucid dreaming.
In ordinary dreams, dreamers usually have low levels of cognitive control. The stream of thoughts flows more freely. Yet, the more the dreamer is in control of the situation, the more the movement of thought becomes precise and directed. Thus, lucid dreams can be considered a special case of non-spontaneous thought during sleep.
Researchers suggest that this is related to increased activity in the prefrontal cortex and the default mode network compared to non-lucid dreams. In addition, experienced dreamers often exhibit increased activity in all regions of the frontoparietal network during rest.
Just like in waking life thoughts acquire a clear trajectory when performing a specific task, in lucid dreams, the variability of thoughts is also reduced. Cognitive control can be sufficient for a dreamer to act mindfully and purposefully.
How well do you control the situation in your lucid dreams?
The preprint of the article was published in March 2023 on PsyArXiv.
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