Why we dream: the science and psychology of dreaming

Do you have a recurring dream — a story that comes back again and again when you drift off to sleep. Maybe it’s a classic anxiety dream about taking a final exam you never studied for or standing in front of crowd completely naked.

On this edition of The Connection: why do we dream? What is our brain doing while we sleep? Why is the content of our dreams so bizarre? How can we better remember our dreams? How can our dreams help us address problems that we struggle with when we’re awake?

We’re joined by Harvard University psychologist and dream researcher Deirdre Barrett is the author of Pandemic Dreams and The Committee of Sleep. She’s also the President of the International Association for the Study of Dreams.