Researchers have found differences in dream content between men and women and among children of different ages.
As the child's brain matures, dream content changes, evolving from fragmented images to full storylines. There are also some common variations in men's and women's dreams, which may reflect either underlying cognitive tendencies or differences in the ways boys and girls are socialized, depending on whether gender differences are ascribed to nature or nurture.
Age Differences in Dream Content
Children below five years of age tend to dream in bland, static images and thoughts related to daily events. Before the age of three or four they do not even star in their own dreams. Between the ages of five and eight, dreams become more like stories, with interaction and movement.
By age 11, the dreamer has become an active participant in his or her dream stories and by age 13, dreams take on content and length similar to those of adults, as well as being shaped to a greater degree by the dreamer’s individual personality. This may reflect waking life, in which older children have greater power to choose their actions as opposed to early childhood when their choices are shaped by adults.
Gender Differences in Dream Content
The subconscious minds of men and women produce symbols in different quantities. One such difference is that women dream of both genders equally, but 67% of those in men’s dreams are male. Another is that men’s dreams tend to have more aggressive symbolism or activity.
Other gender differences include more emotional content in women’s dreams, as well as more home-based settings and more characters (particularly family members). Additionally, women’s individual dreams tend to last longer than men’s.
Men’s dreams involve more strangers and are more inclined to feature violence, cars and roads. Men’s anxiety-related dreams are more often about work, particularly financial security and the possibility of being fired. However, as the percentage of women in the full-time workforce rises, women’s dreams are increasingly focusing on work themes as well.
Approximately 8% of both men’s and women’s dreams include sexual activity, but there are gender differences in overall sexual dream content. As with other types of dreams, the primary gender difference is that men’s sexual dreams are more inclined to occur in unknown or public settings, and are more likely to feature strangers. Women are less likely to dream about multiple or unknown sexual partners than men. However, despite these tendencies, there will be many people whose dreams do not conform to the trends for their gender.
Further Information
To read about the purpose of dreams, please see Why People Dream. To learn about nightmares and sleep disturbances, visit The Dark Side of Dreaming. For information about the meanings of dreams, see Dream Analysis and Interpretation.
References
- Hitti, M. (14 June 2007). "Sex Dreams Equal 8% of Adults' Dreams." WebMD Medical News.
- Hoss, B. (n.d.). “FAQ”. Dreamscience.org.
- International Association for the Study of Dreams. (2003). “Common Questions About Dreams” and “Common Questions About Nightmares.” Asdreams.org.
- The Dream Tree. (1998). “Famous Dreams & Dreamers,” “FAQs” and “Thoughts on Dreams.” Dreamtree.com.
- Turner, R. (19 August 2006). "Men and Women Dream Differently." icWales.co.uk.
