A scene from the Hollywood blockbuster Inceptionwhere people's dreams can be accessed and manipulated.
Is film Inceptiona reality? Studies suggest 'luciddreams' where we control the action are on the rise.
It is the stuff of a Hollywood movie: a dreamworld that can be manipulated at will. But for more and more of us, it is becoming a reality, with the number of people experiencing lucid dreams rising rapidly.
In the blockbusterfilm, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page stroll through a dreamworld where they are able to bend streets into the sky, walk up wall and destroy a cafe by the force of will.
While the plot of a lucid dream may not be as dramatic, the process is similar. Someone having a lucid dream realises they are dreaming and may from then on in ‘direct’ the action. Alternatively, they may simply ‘watch’ the dream unfold.
The sense of awareness makes it different from a dream that is simply extremely vivid and true to life. And while the description may seem bizarre, the process is far from alien to many of us.
Studies suggest that the number of people in the Western world experiencing the occasional lucid dream has risen by between 10 and 40 per cent since the 1980s. Today, they are so common that about one in eight of us will have one in our lives. Despite this, little is known about what triggers them - or what is behind the rise.
Research carried out at the respected Harvard University in the US showed the brain to be hard at work during lucid dreams. In fact, the level of mental activity in some parts of the brain was similar to that of an awake person.
Lucid dreamers seem to share certain personality traits. For instance, they are creative but also problem orientated and believe in personal responsibility rather that letting society carry the can.
Scientists of course, do not know the function of dreams in general, far less that of lucid ones.
Our nightmares may reflect our waking concerns, with the five most common themes falling, being chased, feeling paralysed, being late, and the death of a loved one.
Men are more likely to have nightmares about violence or being sacked while bereavementand sexual harassment crop up more in women’s nightmares. Dreams about hair and tooth loss are also more common in women - perhaps signifying anxieties about losing their looks.
Previous research has found that women have more nightmares than men. Their dreams are also more intense and leave more of an impression when they wake up.
电影《盗梦空间》存在于现实中吗？研究显示，做可以自主控制的“清醒梦”的人正在增多。
这是在一部好莱坞电影中发生的事，在那里梦境可以被随意操纵。但对我们当中越来越多的人来说，随着做清醒梦的人数迅速增多，这一情节正在成为现实。
在这部卖座大片中，莱昂纳多 迪卡普里奥和爱伦 佩基可以在梦境中漫步，在那里，凭借意志力，他们能够使街道立起来，能在墙上行走，也可以摧毁咖啡屋。
虽然清醒梦的情节可能不像电影中那么戏剧化，但其过程是相似的。有些处于清醒梦中的人意识到他们在做梦，可能就此开始“指挥”自己的行动。或者，他们也许只是“静观”梦境的上演。
这种知道自己在做梦的意识让清醒梦有别于一个只是非常生动逼真的梦。也许这一描述看似怪诞，但对我们中的许多人来说，这个过程却一点也不陌生。
许多研究表明，自二十世纪八十年代以来，西方国家中偶尔做清醒梦的人的数量上升了10%到40%。现如今，做清醒梦已经十分普遍，我们当中有八分之一的人都做过清醒梦。尽管如此，几乎没人知道是什么引发了清醒梦，或了解为什么做清醒梦的人会增多。
在美国名校哈佛大学开展的研究显示，在做清醒梦期间，大脑也在辛勤工作。事实上，大脑某些部位的活动水平同清醒时的脑力活动水平相当。
做清醒梦的人似乎有一些共同的个性特征。例如，做清醒梦的人富有创造性但也容易产生问题，他们认为个人应该承担责任，而不会将问题扔给社会。
当然了，科学家们不清楚一般的梦的功能，更不知道清醒梦的功能。
我们所做的噩梦可能会反映出我们在清醒状态所担心的事情，其中五种最常见的梦境为跌落、被人追赶、感到无法动弹、迟到以及亲友的亡故。
男性的噩梦更多是关于暴力或被解雇，而丧亲和性侵犯则更多地出现在女性的噩梦中。有关掉头发或掉牙的梦在女性的梦境中也更普遍，这可能预示着对容颜逝去的焦虑。
此前的一项研究发现女性做的噩梦比男性的多。她们的梦也更紧张，而且在她们醒来以后留下的印象更深。
Vocabulary:
Inception: 电影《盗梦空间》，inception的意思是“（机构、组织等的）开端，创始”。
lucid: able to think clearly（头脑清晰的，清醒的）
blockbuster: something very successful, especially a very successful book or film/movie 一鸣惊人的事物；（尤指）非常成功的书（或电影）
carry the can: 承受责难，承担责任
bereavement: the death of a relative or close friend（亲友的丧亡）
