SOMETIMES, SLEEP SCARES ME. TO GO UNCONSCIOUS -
TO PASS FROM BEING TO NON-BEING - SEEMS ASTONISHING. IT'S NOT THAT I FRET AWAKING UP. IT'S THAT I'M
AWE-STRUCK BY BLANKNESS. SHEER NOTHINGNESS. THAT'S WHY I'M
OBSESSED BY CONSCIOUSNESS. THE MYSTERY OF CONSCIOUSNESS. HOW DOES THIS SUBJECTIVE
INNER AWARENESS COME ABOUT? ONE WAY TO EXPLORE CONSCIOUSNESS
IS TO INVESTIGATE ITS ABSENCE. IT'S CALLED SLEEP. WHY DO WE SPEND 1/4 TO 1/3 OF
OUR LIVES ASLEEP - UNCONSCIOUS? ANOTHER WAY IS TO
EXAMINE ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS - DREAMS. WHAT MIGHT SLEEPING AND DREAMING
REVEAL ABOUT CONSCIOUSNESS? WHY DO WE SLEEP? I'M ROBERT LAWRENCE KUHN AND
CLOSER TO TRUTH IS MY JOURNEY TO FIND OUT. SLEEP IS SO COMMON,
YET SO ENIGMATIC. CAN SLEEP HELP
ELUCIDATE CONSCIOUSNESS? I SHOULD START WITH
THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP. THEN SEEK INSIGHTS
INTO CONSCIOUSNESS. WHY STUDY SLEEP? WHAT'S THE BODILY REASON -
THE PHYSIOLOGY OF SLEEP? WHAT'S THE MENTAL REASON -
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SLEEP? I BEGIN IN BOSTON, AT HARVARD
MEDICAL SCHOOL WITH A LEADING SLEEP RESEARCHER -
ROBERT STICKGOLD. BOB, SLEEP SEEMS SO MYSTERIOUS. WHY AM I WASTING MY TIME
SIX, EIGHT HOURS A NIGHT? SLEEP GETS NO
RESPECT IN OUR CULTURE. SLEEP IS A TIME WHEN WE ARE
DOING AS MUCH WORK AS WHEN WE ARE AWAKE. IT MIGHT TURN OUT THAT, FOR
EVERY TWO HOURS WE SPEND AWAKE, TAKING IN NEW INFORMATION, IT
TAKES OUR BRAIN AN HOUR OFFLINE TO JUST FIGURE
OUT WHAT IT MEANS. IT'S EASY TO RECORD SOMETHING,
IT'S EASY TO LEARN A FACT, BUT TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE THAT
FACT OR HOW IT FITS TOGETHER WITH OTHER THINGS, TO DECIDE
WHICH NEW INFORMATION TO KEEP AND WHICH TO DUMP,
THAT IS A HARD QUESTION. AND THE BRAIN, IT APPEARS, AND
THE PERSON AS A RESULT, NEEDS TO GO OFFLINE. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT SOMETHING
YOU SORT OF TUNE OUT WHAT I'M SAYING BECAUSE WE CAN'T
THINK INTERNALLY AND TAKE IN INFORMATION AT THE SAME TIME. AND SO, EVOLUTION HAS FIGURED
OUT THAT THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH THIS PROBLEM
IS TAKE US OFFLINE. SO, THE BRAIN JUST SHUTS OUT
EXTERNAL INPUTS, CUTS US OFF FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD, SO IT
CAN DO WHAT IT NEEDS TO DO. NOW, THE BRAIN IS DEALING WITH
NEW INFORMATION, BUT THE BODY IS DEALING WITH NEW
INFORMATION, TOO. IF YOU HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO SOME
INFECTIOUS AGENT OR IF YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN A VACCINATION, WE
KNOW THAT YOU THAT YOU NEED TO SLEEP THE NIGHT AFTERWARDS
IF YOU WANT TO PRODUCE A GOOD ANTIBODY RESPONSE TO IT. IF YOU TAKE COLLEGE STUDENTS AND
GIVE THEM A HEPATITIS VACCINE AND THEN SLEEP DEPRIVE THEM THE
NIGHT AFTERWARDS, WHEN YOU CHECK TWO WEEKS LATER, THEY HAVE
ONLY MADE HALF AS MUCH ANTIBODY. THAT'S REMARKABLE. SO, IF YOU ARE NOT GETTING
SLEEP, YOUR BODY DOESN'T HAVE THE TIME AND THE CONDITION
TO OPTIMALLY PREPARE A RESPONSE TO THAT INFECTION. SO, WE KNOW THAT IT HAS TO DO
WITH MEMORY PROCESSING, YOU KNOW IT HAS TO DO WITH IMMUNE
FUNCTION, IT ALSO HAS TO DO WITH ENDOCRINE FUNCTION. IT'S NOW LOOKING LIKE A LOT OF
THIS EPIDEMIC OF OBESITY WE ARE DEALING WITH MIGHT IN FACT BE AN
EPIDEMIC OF RESTRICTED SLEEP AND THAT ALTERS OUR INSULIN
PRODUCTION AND OUR INSULIN REGULATION AND MIGHT BE PART OF
THE REASON THAT PEOPLE NOW ARE PUTTING ON MORE
WEIGHT THAN THEY USED TO. SLEEP SEEMS TO HAVE
AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN EMOTIONAL REGULATION, TOO. THERE IS NOTHING MORE SCARY THAN
GOING TO BED AT NIGHT ANGRY AT SOMEONE AND WAKING UP IN THE
MORNING, DISCOVERING THAT YOU ARE STILL ANGRY. USUALLY OVER A NIGHT OF SLEEP,
THOSE EMOTIONS WILL SORT OF MODULATE AND SORT OF SETTLE
OUT SO THAT YOU ARE MORE EVENLY BALANCED IN YOUR EMOTIONS. WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SLEEP AND MEMORY THAT HAS CAPTURED SO MUCH
OF SCIENTIFIC ATTENTION IN THE LAST FEW YEARS? WE'VE GOT QUOTATIONS FROM THE
FOURTH CENTURY BC ABOUT GREEK PHILOSOPHERS TALKING ABOUT HOW
YOU LEARN WHILE YOU'RE SLEEPING SO THAT YOU KNOW THINGS
BETTER IN THE MORNING. AND YET, UNTIL ABOUT TEN
YEARS AGO, WE HAD VERY LITTLE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FOR THAT. IT'S ONLY STARTING AROUND THE
YEAR 2000 THAT SCIENTIFIC PAPERS STARTED COMING OUT SAYING, LOOK,
THERE REALLY IS A CONNECTION. AND SINCE THEN, THERE HAVE BEEN
SEVERAL HUNDRED PAPERS THAT HAVE COME OUT THAT LOOK AT WHAT
HAPPENS TO MEMORIES ACROSS THE NIGHT OF SLEEP. THE WAY WE KNOW THAT THE
MEMORIES ARE BEING MANIPULATED WHILE WE SLEEP IS WE CAN TRAIN
PEOPLE TO LEARN TO DO THINGS BEFORE THEY GO TO BED AND
THEY WILL BE BETTER AT THEM THE NEXT MORNING. AND I CAN LOOK AT THE KIND OF
SLEEP THEY HAVE DURING THAT NIGHT AND PREDICT PRETTY
ACCURATELY HOW MUCH BETTER THEY ARE GOING TO BE
THE NEXT MORNING. AND SO, THAT IS HOW WE KNOW
THAT THE BRAIN, IN ITS DIFFERENT SLEEP STAGES, IN REM SLEEP AND
NON-REM SLEEP - REM SLEEP IS RAPID EYE MOVEMENT SLEEP, WHERE
WE DO OUR MOST INTENSE DREAMING - THAT, DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH
TIME THEY ARE SPENDING IN THOSE DIFFERENT STAGES AND DIFFERENT
PARTS OF THE NIGHT, THAT IS WHAT PREDICTS HOW MUCH THEY ARE GOING
TO BE IMPROVED THE NEXT MORNING. I TALK TO PIANISTS, WHO SAY,
BOB, I WAS WORKING ON THE CHOPIN ETUDE AND THERE WAS THIS
THREE MEASURE PIECE OF IT THAT I JUST COULDN'T GET. I SPENT TWO HOURS ON IT
AND I JUST COULDN'T GET IT TO RUN SMOOTHLY. I WENT TO BED, I GOT UP THE NEXT
MORNING, I SAT DOWN AT THE PIANO AND FIRST TIME
THROUGH, I HAD IT PERFECTLY. BUT IT MAKES NO SENSE TO THEM,
GIVEN THEIR - AND MOST OF OUR UNDERSTANDINGS OF
WHAT SLEEP IS ABOUT. SLEEP IS JUST
DEAD TIME, WE THINK. AND IT'S REALLY NOT. AND THAT IS THE PROBLEM, THAT
PEOPLE THINK THAT SLEEP IS A WASTE OF TIME. I MEAN, AT BEST,
A WASTE OF TIME. AT WORST, A SIGN OF
LAZINESS, AND LACK OF ENERGY AND COMMITMENT OR
ANYTHING LIKE THAT. AND IN FACT, IT'S PROBABLY THE
MOST PRODUCTIVE EIGHT HOURS WE HAVE IN 24. IT'S JUST THAT WE CAN'T WATCH
IT HAPPEN, AND SO WE DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S HAPPENING. SLEEP IS NO WASTE OF TIME. SLEEP ENABLES MEMORY
CONSOLIDATION AND THUS LEARNING; STIMULATES THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND
THUS FIGHTS DISEASE; REGULATES EMOTION AND PERHAPS
CONTROLS OBESITY. ARE THERE DEEPER VEINS TO MINE? WHAT ACTUALLY
HAPPENS DURING SLEEP? WHAT ARE THE KINDS
OR STAGES OF SLEEP? I HEAD ACROSS TOWN TO BOSTON
UNIVERSITY, TO MEET AN EXPERT ON THE EVOLUTION OF
SLEEP - PATRICK MCNAMARA. THE FIRST FACT I THINK ANYONE
HAS TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF IS THAT THERE ARE TWO MAJOR FORMS OF
SLEEP, REM AND NON-REM - SO, RAPID EYE MOVEMENT SLEEP AND
NON-RAPID EYE MOVEMENT SLEEP. NOW, NON-RAPID EYE MOVEMENT
SLEEP IS WHAT MOST PEOPLE THINK OF WHEN THEY THINK OF SLEEP;
YOU'RE RECUMBENT, YOU'RE - MOST ANIMALS LIE DOWN,
THERE'S VERY LITTLE BRAIN ACTIVITY, BRAIN ACTIVITY IS
SYNCHRONIZED SO THERE'S PROBABLY NOT A LOT OF COGNITIVE
PROCESSING GOING ON, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN CENTERS. I THINK THE BEST THEORIES OF
NON-REM SLEEP, UM, SUGGEST THAT A LOT OF IMMUNE REPAIR
FUNCTIONS ARE HAPPENING, AND ENERGETIC FUNCTIONS. SO, IT SEEMS ON THE SURFACE
THAT, WHAT DOES SLEEP HAVE TO DO WITH GETTING A COLD, BUT IT
DOES, BECAUSE SLEEP HELPS THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, UH,
UH REVITALIZE ITSELF. RIGHT, AND , THE BRAIN SYSTEM
TO REVITALIZE ITSELF AS WELL, GLUCOSE, ENERGY STORES ARE
BEING REPLENISHED, ALL KINDS OF HOUSEKEEPING FUNCTIONS
ARE TAKEN CARE OF DURING A SLOW WAVE SLEEP, ESPECIALLY. REM SLEEP IS A TOTALLY
DIFFERENT, UH, BALL OF WAX. REM SLEEP SEEMS
TO DISSIPATE ENERGY. IT'S - THERE'S NO ENERGY BEING
REPLENISHED, THERE IS A LOT OF BRAIN ACTIVITY, THE BRAIN IS
DESYNCHRONIZED RATHER THAN SYNCHRONIZED - THAT'S WHEN WE
HAVE THE MOST VIVID DREAMS. SO, THERE'S A LOT OF
COGNITIVE PROCESSING GOING ON IN REM SLEEP. SO, IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT
SLEEP AND LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT CONSCIOUSNESS, YOU
LOOK AT REM SLEEP FIRST. WHAT ABOUT SOME OF THE, UH, THE
THEORIES THAT SLEEP HAS TO DO WITH MEMORY CONSOLIDATION,
CREATIVITY, PROBLEM SOLVING, HOW DO WE DEAL WITH
ALL THESE ELEMENTS? THERE'S PRETTY GOOD EVIDENCE NOW
THAT, UM, BOTH FORMS OF SLEEP IMPACT MEMORY, BUT
IN VERY COMPLEX WAYS. AND YOU CAN'T SAY THAT THE
FUNCTION OF EITHER REM OR NON-REM SLEEP IS MEMORY
PROCESSING, BECAUSE A HELL OF A LOT OF MEMORY PROCESSING GOES
ON DURING THE DAY WHEN YOU'RE AWAKE, SO YOU DON'T NEED SLEEP
FOR - FOR MEMORY CONSOLIDATION, WE DON'T THINK. BUT IT IS IMPLICATED. YOU GET BETTER MEMORY
CONSOLIDATION, MORE SOPHISTICATED MEMORY
CONSOLIDATION, DURING BOTH FORMS OF SLEEP. BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE
BEEN ON DRUGS THAT SUPPRESS ONE OR OTHER FORMS OF SLEEP, LIKE
PARTICULARLY REM SLEEP; LIKE, ANY OF THE ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS
SUPPRESS VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF REM SLEEP. AND - AND THOSE COMPONENTS HAVE
BEEN SUPPRESSED IN THESE PEOPLE FOR YEARS, AND THEY, THEY
HAVE PERFECTLY NORMAL MEMORIES. OKAY. HOW ABOUT, UH, CLAIMS
OF, UM, ENHANCED CREATIVITY OR PROBLEM SOLVING? IS THAT ANECDOTAL OLD
WIVES TALES AS THEY SAY? NO, I DON'T THINK SO. I THINK THERE'S EXPERIMENTAL
EVIDENCE FOR IT, PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS, YEAH, MORE
DISPARATE CONNECTIONS ARE MADE, PARTICULARLY DURING REM
SLEEP, THAN DURING WAKING CONSCIOUSNESS, SO - BUT THAT
MAY BE FOR ONLY CERTAIN TYPES OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW? WE JUST DON'T KNOW ENOUGH YET,
BUT IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT REM SLEEP IN PARTICULAR PROBABLY IS
CRUCIAL FOR CREATIVITY, THOUGH WE DON'T KNOW WHY,
WE DON'T KNOW HOW - WELL, CERTAINLY WE
HAVE BIZARRE DREAMS. I MEAN, THAT'S THE MAJOR - DREAMS ARE CREATIVE. DREAMS THEMSELVES ARE CREATIVE. RIGHT, RIGHT. THEY TAKE SOME BASIC ELEMENTS,
THEY RECOMBINE THEM IN VERY UNUSUAL WAYS, AND YOU GET A
WHOLE DIFFERENT COUNTERFACTUAL PICTURE OF THE
WORLD FROM YOUR DREAM. MOST OF THE TIME, IT SEEMS
ABSURD AND BIZARRE AND, UM - I WOULDN'T SAY SO. I THINK THE - THE ONES THAT
WE REMEMBER TEND TO BE BIZARRE BECAUSE THEY'RE MEMORABLE. BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF REM
DREAMS, WHEN YOU JUST WAKE PEOPLE UP AND ASK THEM, WHAT,
WHAT WERE YOU DREAMING, THEY'RE VERY CREATIVE,
AND NOT AS BIZARRE. OKAY, WELL, THAT'S INTERESTING,
BECAUSE I'M SPEAKING BECAUSE OF THE DREAMS THAT I REMEMBER,
WHICH ARE THE BIZARRE ONES. BIZARRE, YEAH. OKAY, WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS
THAT, IF YOU PUT ME IN YOUR LAB AND YOU WOKE ME UP AT, AT - WHEN
I HAD REM SLEEP, AND YOU ASKED ME IN A, IN A, IN A
STATISTICALLY VALID BASIS EVERY TIME, YOU'D GET A
DIFFERENT SET OF, UH - VERY DIFFERENT. - OF DREAMS. SO, IT'S A - TELL ME ABOUT THAT. VERY DIFFERENT. THE BIZARRE ELEMENTS ARE MUCH
LOWER IN - IN THOSE KINDS OF DREAMS, WE CAN ANALYZE
THOUSANDS OF DREAM REPORTS. AND WE CAN VERY PRECISELY
CHARACTERIZE BIZARRE ELEMENTS; WHEN THEY OCCUR, WHERE THEY
OCCUR, WHAT KINDS OF PEOPLE, AND IT'S NOT - I WOULDN'T
SAY IT'S A REAL CONSISTENT, CHARACTERISTIC OF DREAMS. AND SO - WE MUST THROW THAT OUT. BIZARRE - BIZARRENESS DOES
NOT REALLY CHARACTERIZE DREAMS. SO, THEREFORE,
WHAT DO WE CONCLUDE? THAT IF MOST DREAMS ARE MORE
NORMAL, SHALL WE SAY, EVEN THOUGH WE MAY NOT
REMEMBER THEM, WHAT'S THE POINT? WELL, IF WE KNEW THE FUNCTION OF
DREAMS, I'D BE ABLE TO TELL YOU. BUT, UH, CERTAINLY IT
HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH CREATIVITY, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY REALLY DO PRESENT
THESE COUNTERFACTUAL SCENARIOS TO YOUR DAYTIME EXISTENCE. YOU KNOW, THEY PRESENT A
DIFFERENT PICTURE OF WHO YOU ARE, WHAT YOU'RE
DOING, WHERE YOU'RE GOING. AND TO THAT EXTENT, THEY
HAVE TO IMPACT CONSCIOUSNESS. YOUR AWARENESS OF YOURSELF
WILL BE IMPACTED BY THOSE COUNTERFACTUAL SCENARIOS
THAT GET, UH, PRESENTED EVERY, EVERY NINETY
MINUTES DURING THE NIGHT. TO DEFINE SLEEP IN THE NEGATIVE
AS NOT BEING AWAKE IS LIKE DESCRIBING SYMPHONIC
MUSIC AS NOT BEING SILENT. YES, IT'S TRUE - BUT
THERE'S SO MUCH MORE. IN NON-REM SLEEP,
DREAMS ARE RARE AND WE ARE GENERALLY NOT CONSCIOUS. IT'S TIME FOR BODILY
HOUSEKEEPING - RESTORING ENERGY, STRENGTHENING THE
IMMUNE SYSTEM, AND THE LIKE. IN REM-SLEEP, DREAMING IS AN
ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS, MAKING STRANGE CONNECTIONS,
CONJURING UP BIZARRE IDEAS, EXPLORING POSSIBILITIES THAT
DID NOT, OR COULD NOT, HAPPEN. CAN DREAMS ENGENDER CREATIVITY? I GO BACK TO HARVARD MEDICAL
SCHOOL TO MEET A LEADING DREAM RESEARCHER - PSYCHOLOGIST
DIERDRE BARRETT. DEIRDRE, YOU'VE DONE PIONEERING
WORK IN SHOWING HOW DREAMING RELATES TO CREATIVITY
AND PROBLEM SOLVING. IT SEEMS FOR ONE WHO DOESN'T
REMEMBER MANY OF MY DREAMS, THAT SEEMS REALLY
QUITE INCREDIBLE. IS THERE REAL SCIENCE
TO BACK THAT UP? YES, WE'RE CONSCIOUS IN SOME
SENSE IN OUR DREAMS, EVEN IF WE DON'T REMEMBER THEM. PEOPLE ARE DREAMING ABOUT FIVE
TIMES A NIGHT ON AVERAGE WE GO INTO RAPID EYE MOVEMENT OR REM
SLEEP, AND THERE'S USUALLY DREAM CONTENT ACCOMPANYING THAT
BUT, THE PROCESS WHERE WE TRANSFER SHORT TERM INTO LONG
TERM MEMORY IS NOT HAPPENING IN OUR BRAINS UNLESS YOU WAKE UP
FROM A DREAM, BUT, EVERYONE'S DREAMING A LOT AND WE MAY NOT
NEED TO REMEMBER THEM FOR THEM TO ACCOMPLISH VARIOUS PURPOSES. SO HOW DOES THAT WORK? DREAMS ARE PROBABLY
PARTIALLY DETERMINED BY WHY WE NEED REM SLEEP AND THAT
LOOKS LIKE IT MAY WELL BE FOR SOME PHYSIOLOGIC REASONS. REM SLEEP CAME ON
DEVELOPMENTALLY ABOUT AT THE START OF MAMMALS, THERE, THERE,
THERE ARE SOME PRECURSORS IN SOME OTHER SPECIES BUT BASICALLY
MOST MAMMALS DREAM, MOST NON-MAMMALS DON'T. THAT'S ALSO WHEN ELABORATE
THERMAL REGULATION CAME ALONG AND REM SLEEP SEEMS TO ABOUT
FINE TUNING BACK THE SYSTEM SHUT OFF DURING REM SLEEP. WE'RE REPLENISHING CERTAIN
BIO-CHEMICALS, SO I THINK THAT WHY WE ARE IN THIS STATE OF VERY
DRAMATIC VISUAL IMAGERY, LESS VERBAL THINKING MAY BE
DETERMINED BY SOMETHING ABOUT WHAT NEUROTRANSMITTERS NEED TO
BE DOING, AND THEN JUST THE FACT THAT WE ARE PARALYZED AND KEEP
OUR EYES SHUT IS PROBABLY JUST DETERMINED BY DON'T DIE DURING
THIS, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHAT OUT OF TOUCH WITH
SENSATION SLEEP STAGE. BEYOND THAT I THINK DREAMS HAVE
OTHER MEANINGS, LAYERED, LAYERED ON TOP OF WHAT MAY BE
THE NEEDS FOR REM SLEEP. AND THEN HOW DO WE GET
TO THE CREATIVITY AND THE PROBLEM SOLVING PART? WELL, DREAMS INVOLVE A STAGE
WHERE OUR, OUR PREFRONTAL AREAS ARE MUCH LESS ACTIVE, SOME OF
THE VISUAL IMAGINATION AREAS ARE MUCH MORE ACTIVE, AND I THINK
THAT BASICALLY DREAMS ARE JUST THINKING IN A DIFFERENT
BIOCHEMICAL STATE, THAT CERTAIN PARTS OF OUR BRAIN ARE MORE
OR LESS ACTIVE, BUT WE'RE STILL INTERESTED IN ALL THE SAME
THINGS, OUR PERSONAL EMOTIONAL ISSUES, BUT ALSO OUR
PROFESSIONAL OBJECTIVE ONES, WORRIES, HOPES, AND YOU SEE ALL
OF THE SAME KINDS OF CONCERNS KICKING AROUND IN DREAMS
THAT WE THINK ABOUT AWAKE. BUT THERE ARE WELL DOCUMENTED
INSTANCES OF DREAMS REALLY SOLVING SOME PROBLEM THAT
SOMEONE WAS STUCK ON AWAKE. THOSE, THOSE HAPPEN MORE
OFTEN WHEN IT'S EITHER A VISUAL SPATIAL ISSUE, WHERE SEEING
SOMETHING VERY VIVIDLY MAY LEND ITSELF TO SOLVING THE PROBLEM,
THOSE CONSTITUTE A LOT OF THE DREAM BREAKTHROUGHS, AND THE
OTHER BIG CLUSTER ARE WHERE THE REASON THAT YOU'RE STUCK IS
BECAUSE THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM IS WRONG ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR
ISSUE, AND THAT YOU NEED TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND
AGAIN, DREAMS AREN'T USING OUR PRE FRONTAL LOGICAL AREAS
QUITE AS MUCH AND THEY, THEY THINK MORE, MORE WIDELY
AND LESS CONVENTIONALLY. SO YOU'RE MORE EASILY ABLE TO
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING CONTROLLING
THE, THE RIGIDITY OF THE BOX. THE FRONTAL LOBES WHICH GIVES
US THIS EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IS, IS NOT FUNCTIONAL. YES. AND THEN YOU'RE MORE ABLE TO
VISUALIZE THINGS VERY VIVIDLY BECAUSE THE SENSORY INPUT FROM
THE REAL WORLD IS SHUT DOWN AND YET THE PART OF THE BRAIN THAT
PROCESSES THAT INTO IMAGES IS, IS SLIGHTLY MORE ACTIVE AWAKE. NOW, IF I WANT TO BE A SKEPTIC,
I WOULD SAY SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT YOU COULD BRING UP A
LOT OF ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE, THIS SCIENTIST OR THAT MATHEMATICIAN
OR THAT ARTIST HAD THIS FEELING, BUT THEY MIGHT HAVE HAD THAT
ANYWAY, AND, AND WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THE BILLIONS OF THINGS
THAT DIDN'T OCCUR, HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT TYPE OF ARGUMENT? IF SOMEONE WORKING ON A
PARTICULAR SCIENTIFIC PROBLEM DREAMS THE ANSWER IN THE DREAM,
SAYING, OH THAT'S COINCIDENCE, DOESN'T REALLY MAKE SENSE. NOW IF YOU'RE SAYING THAT THEY
MIGHT EVENTUALLY HAVE REACHED THE SOLUTION AWAKE, YES, BUT,
BUT EVEN ONE ANECDOTE, UNLESS YOU THINK THE PERSON IS LYING,
DOES SHOW THAT SOMETIMES THE- WELL, WHAT YOU- THE BREAKTHROUGH MAY
HAPPEN IN THE DREAM STATE. DREAMS HAVE DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTED
TO TWO NOBEL PRIZES, I MEAN FOR, FOR WHAT THE SMALL PROPORTION OF
DREAM CONTENT IS REMEMBERED, I THINK THAT'S ACTUALLY A, A
FAIRLY GOOD BATTING AVERAGE. HERE'S THE BIG
QUESTION ABOUT DREAMS. ARE DREAMS
MEANINGFUL IN THEMSELVES? THE WAY MYSTICS AND
PSYCHOTHERAPISTS HAVE IMAGINED? OR ARE DREAMS THE
INCIDENTAL BY-PRODUCT OF PURELY PHYSIOLOGICAL
FUNCTIONS OF SLEEP? EITHER WAY, COULD
DREAMS ENABLE CREATIVITY? BY MAKING THOSE STRANGE
CONNECTIONS, CONJURING UP THOSE BIZARRE IDEAS. THAT'D BE A NICE
COINCIDENCE, WOULDN'T IT? SO, HERE'S ORDINARY
SLEEP, COMPOSED OF TWO RADICAL ELEMENTS. THE UTTER BLANKNESS OF
NON-CONSCIOUSNESS AND REALITY-BENDING,
FANTASTICAL DREAMS. PERHAPS AN EVOLUTIONAL
PERSPECTIVE CAN PROBE THE ESSENCE OF SLEEP. I GO FROM CAMBRIDGE,
MASSACHUSETTS, TO CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND TO MEET A PSYCHOLOGIST
WHO USES EVOLUTION TO EXPLAIN CONSCIOUSNESS -
NICHOLAS HUMPHREY. SLEEP CERTAINLY CHANGES OUR
VIEW OF THE KIND OF CREATURES WE ARE, BECAUSE IT IS A SORT OF
LITTLE DEATH, AND WHAT THE DEATH TELLS US, IS THAT WE SURVIVE
IT, WE GO TO SLEEP, WE, OUR CONSCIOUSNESS IS OBLITERATED,
AND SURE THING, NEXT DAY, WE RECREATE OURSELVES, AND THIS IS
SUCH A REGULAR OCCURRENCE THAT OF COURSE, WE JUST TAKE
IT FOR GRANTED, BUT IT IS A KIND OF MIRACLE. HOW COME, THAT WE LOSE
CONSCIOUSNESS AND THEN OUT OF NOTHING BRING IT ALL BACK AGAIN. IT'S LIKE A KIND OF
BIG BANG, IN A WAY. THE UNIVERSE WAS CREATED OUT OF
NOTHING, WE REPEAT THAT EVERY DAY WHEN WE WAKE UP. NOW, I THINK IT'S BEEN VERY
IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE RIGHT THROUGH HISTORY, IN
UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS, IN PARTICULAR,
IT'S GIVEN THEM GREAT CONFIDENCE THAT THEY WILL SURVIVE, BUT
NOT ONLY THESE MINI DEATHS, BUT PERHAPS THE FINAL DEATH OF ALL,
THAT THEY WILL WAKE UP, AFTER THE DEATH OF THE PHYSICAL
BODIES IN AN AFTERLIFE. HOW HAS THE, UM, THE REALITY OF
SLEEP AFFECTED OUR PERCEPTION OVER TIME, AS A SPECIES, UM, HAS
IT, HAS IT GIVEN US A DIFFERENT PERCEPTIONS OF REALITY? I THINK DREAMS ARE A WONDERFUL
PLAYGROUND, UM, AND YES, WE LEARN A LOT FROM THEM. IT'S BEEN QUITE COMMON IN RECENT
TIMES TO TRY TO PRODUCE VERY LOW LEVEL REDUCTIONIST THEORIES OF
DREAMS, THAT IS, THE COMPUTER PROGRAM'S RUNNING
BACKWARDS OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE. I THINK THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO MAKE
THAT KIND OF CLAIM ARE PEOPLE WHO DON'T REALLY HAVE
DREAMS, OR REMEMBER THEM. TO MOST OF US, I'M SURE, TO
YOU ROBERT, DREAMS ARE QUITE CLEARLY EXTRAORDINARY
ORIGINAL CREATIONS. THEY HAVE A NARRATIVE. THEY TELL STORIES, UH,
THEY, WE LEARN FROM THEM. WE ENTER WORLDS WHICH WE
DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE IN THEM. NOW WHAT COULD BE
THE PURPOSE OF THAT? WELL, MY IDEA HAS BEEN THAT
ACTUALLY, DREAMS ARE, REALLY ARE, IT'S NOT JUST A PLAYGROUND,
BUT DREAMS ARE A FORM OF PLAY, AND THEY'VE FORM, THEY SERVE
THE SAME FUNCTIONS AS PLAY. WHAT PLAY DOES, ORDINARY PLAY
OUT, OUT IN WAKING LIFE, IT ALLOWS US TO EXPERIMENT
WITH ALTERNATIVE REALITIES, IN A KIND OF SAFE ENVIRONMENT. WE CAN PLAY IN DOCTORS AND
NURSES, OR COWBOYS AND INDIANS, ALL SORTS OF OTHER GAMES, ADULT
GAMES AS WELL, IN WHICH WE TAKE ON ROLES WHICH ACTUALLY WE'VE
NEVER YET EXPERIENCED BEFORE. WELL, WE DO THAT EVEN MORE
SO, PERHAPS, AT NIGHT, IN THE THEATER OF OUR DREAMS, UM,
COMPLETELY SAFE, NATURE SEES TO IT THAT WE PARALYZE OUR
BODIES FROM THE NECK DOWN SO WE DON'T ACT OUT OUR DREAMS, AND
THEN WE CAN FLY, WE CAN FIGHT, WE CAN MAKE LOVE OR WHATEVER IT
MAY BE, IN COMPLETELY NEW KINDS OF SITUATIONS, WITH NEW PEOPLE,
WITH OLD PEOPLE SOMETIMES, OTHER FRIENDS WHO, UH, PERHAPS,
ABSOLUTELY HAVE ANY IDEA OF HOW WE'RE EXPLOITING
THEM IN OUR DREAMS. BUT WE'RE LEARNING ALL THE TIME. WE'RE GETTING INTRODUCED TO
WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO BE IN THAT SITUATION. AND, AS PSYCHOLOGISTS, I MEAN,
OUR NATURAL PSYCHOLOGIST, HUMAN BEINGS WHO NEED TO UNDERSTAND
ALL THE POSSIBILITIES OF BEING HUMAN, WHAT DREAMS DO, IS
INTRODUCE US TO SOME OF THOSE OTHER POSSIBILITIES, WHICH WE
CAN THEN USE OUR KNOWLEDGE TO APPLY IN WAKING LIFE. I'LL GIVE YOU ONE
REMARKABLE EXAMPLE OF THAT. MIDWIVES, WHEN THEY FIRST START
WORKING ON THE LABOR WARDS, ALMOST ALL, I'VE TALKED TO A LOT
OF THEM, I DID SOME RESEARCH IN THIS, THEY START
DREAMING OF GIVING BIRTH. NOW, MOST OF THESE WOMEN, YOUNG
WOMEN, HAVE NOT ACTUALLY HAD BABIES THEMSELVES, AND
YET THEY'RE IN A POSITION, IT'S THEIR JOB TO CARE FOR
AND TO MINISTER TO, AND TO INTERPRET THE ANXIETIES OF
MOTHERS IN THAT REAL SITUATION OF REAL CHILDBIRTH. WHAT THE NURSES, MIDWIVES TELL
ME AGAIN AND AGAIN, WAS THAT THEY LEARNED THROUGH THEIR
DREAMS MUCH MORE ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF THE PATIENTS THEY
WERE DEALING WITH, THE MOTHERS THEY WERE DEALING WITH,
AND THROUGH THAT, THEY COULD EMPATHIZE, THEY COULD
SYMPATHIZE, THEY COULD INTERPRET THE MOTHER'S FEELINGS
IN WAYS THEY'D NEVER BEEN ABLE TO OTHERWISE. WELL, LOOK AT THAT FOR A
WONDERFUL FUNCTION FOR DREAMS, BY PLAYING AT GIVING BIRTH, A
MIDWIFE IS ACTUALLY GETTING REALLY USEFUL SOCIAL KNOWLEDGE. YOU SAY THE PURPOSE,
THE FUNCTION OF DREAMS. DO YOU SEE AN
EVOLUTIONARY BENEFIT TO IT? YES, ABSOLUTELY, IN THAT
PARTICULAR RESPECT, IT'S ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS
WHICH OUR MINDS UNDERTAKE IS TO UNDERSTAND OTHER HUMAN BEINGS. WE'VE BEEN KIND OF EVOLVED
TO BE WHAT I CALL NATURAL PSYCHOLOGISTS, WHO ARE
BRILLIANT AT MIND READING. BUT, WE READ OTHER PEOPLE'S
MINDS BY PROJECTING OURSELVES INTO THEM, AND SO WE CAN ONLY
UNDERSTAND OTHER PEOPLE INSOFAR AS IN SOME, SOME WAY OR ANOTHER,
WE'VE BEEN THERE OURSELVES. BUT THERE ARE MANY SITUATIONS WE
HAVEN'T AND COULDN'T HAVE BEEN IN OURSELVES, IN REAL LIFE. WELL, PERHAPS WE'VE BEEN THERE
IN OUR DREAMS, AND PERHAPS OUR DREAM EXPERIENCES GENUINELY GIVE
US INSIGHT INTO WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO BE SOMEBODY IN THIS REAL
SITUATION, WHICH WE NOW, UH, FIND THEM IN. WHY SLEEP? GOOD HEALTH AND GOOD THINKING. WHY DREAM? CREATIVITY AND ADAPTABILITY - TO
SWIM WITH THE STRANGE, TO PLAY WITHOUT HARM, TO
ENTER THE MIND OF OTHERS. ARE DREAMS A MERE
BY-PRODUCT OF BRAIN BIOLOGY? WAS SLEEP
NECESSARY IN EVOLUTION? TO LOSE CONSCIOUSNESS WITH
PREDATORS ON THE PROWL, WOULD SEEM A WEAK ADAPTATION - NOT
GIVEN TO PROLIFIC PROCREATION. SOME CALL SLEEP
THE "LITTLE DEATH". AND BECAUSE WE ALWAYS "WAKE UP"
AFTER SLEEP, SOME BELIEVE THAT WE WILL LIKEWISE
"WAKE UP" AFTER DEATH. AS AN ARGUMENT FOR LIFE AFTER
DEATH, I'M AFRAID, THE ANALOGY BETWEEN SLEEP AND
DEATH IS NOT VERY GOOD. AS A DESCRIPTION OF SLEEP AS
A WINDOW ON THE WONDERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS - THAT I LIKE. BY EXPERIENCING BLANKNESS,
WE APPRECIATE AWARENESS. DRAWING, CLOSER TO TRUTH.
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To defrag our wet drive.
So we don't die.
[removed]
To prep us for death