A recent study delves into the connection between brain activity patterns and emotions during dreams, particularly those characterized by anger. Led by Pilleriin Sikka, a cognitive neuroscience lecturer at the University of Skövde in Sweden, the research focuses on frontal alpha asymmetry, a brain pattern associated with anger and emotion regulation during wakefulness.
Dreams are emotional experiences, and the study explores whether the same brain pattern indicative of anger during wakefulness can be observed in dreams. Alpha brain waves, oscillating between 8 hertz and 12 hertz, play a role in relaxation. Increased alpha activity in a brain region signals decreased activity in that area. In wakefulness, an asymmetry in alpha activity between the frontal lobes indicates anger or attempts to control anger.
The study involved 17 participants spending two nights in a sleep laboratory, wearing an electroencephalogram (EEG) cap to measure brain activity. The researchers monitored participants’ brainwaves during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, the phase associated with most dreaming. Participants reported their dreams and emotions after brief awakenings throughout the night.
Results revealed a correlation between frontal alpha asymmetry during REM sleep and the experience of anger in dreams. Individuals with greater alpha activity in the right frontal lobe, compared to the left, were more likely to report anger in dreams. The study also found a link between the same asymmetry observed in the evening before sleep and the likelihood of experiencing angry dreams, suggesting a connection between emotions in waking life and dreams.
Despite the need for replication on a larger and more diverse sample, Sikka emphasizes the potential for understanding how some individuals may be predisposed to experiencing anger in both waking life and dreams. Future research aims to explore frontal alpha asymmetry throughout the day and various sleep stages, and the possibility of using brain stimulation to alter frontal alpha asymmetry during sleep to influence dream emotions.
