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Why Do We Dream?
Health & Mind

Why Do We Dream?

The Science Behind the Nightly Theater of the Sleeping Mind

Sophia Liang

Cognitive neuroscientist at Stanford University Sleep Research Center, where she studies the neural mechanisms of memory consolidation and emotional processing during sleep.

March 22, 2026·15 min read

Why Do We Dream?

Every night, as your body lies still, your brain stages an elaborate private cinema — conjuring faces, landscapes, and emotions from nothing. After a century of research, scientists are finally beginning to decode what dreams are actually for, and the answers are stranger and more profound than anyone expected.

TOPICS
sleep scienceneurosciencedreamsREM sleepmemoryconsciousness
FURTHER READING
NIH: Understanding Sleep
NIH
Harvard Health: Dream Science
Harvard Health
Scientific American: Why Do We Dream
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