In a not-so-distant future, when a burbling stream cascading down the Rocky Mountains appears in your dreams, you might be skeptical of who planted it there. While the notion of a corporation seeding dreams in the sleeping mind sounds like a science fiction plot, some consumers began taking the idea seriously in 2021.
When Molson Coors launched an online video promoting its “targeted dream incubation” campaign, things got rather interesting. The aim of this unique project was to implant visions of the beloved Coors beer into the subconscious minds of football enthusiasts ahead of the highly anticipated 2021 Super Bowl. They proudly dubbed it “the world’s largest dream study,” but opinions on this innovative approach varied greatly. While some may view it as a dream come true, others might perceive it more as a nightmarish experience.
The online ad, designed in a documentary style, tried to grab attention by showcasing sleep researcher Deirdre Barrett and giving viewers a peek into a Coors sleep study. However, it was mostly a clever marketing ploy, as no actual research has been conducted based on the trial shown in the video. That being said, the idea behind the ad is not entirely implausible. A brave group of scientists is currently working on advanced techniques to manipulate dreams, a field known as dream engineering. In addition, various marketing studies are openly exploring ways to leverage sleep and dream manipulation to influence consumer behavior. Among these studies is the groundbreaking research conducted by dream engineer Adam Haar at the MIT Media Lab. In fact, a recent report from the American Marketing Association New York revealed that 77 percent of surveyed marketers from U.S. companies aimed to incorporate dream technology into their advertising strategies within the next three years. It seems that dreams may have a significant impact on our waking lives after all.
This commercial pursuit, with Microsoft, Burger King and other big names reportedly investing, has raised serious ethical concerns about the technology — serious enough that 38 dream researchers posted an open letter in June of 2021. “The potential for misuse of these technologies is as ominous as it is obvious,” they wrote.
In regards to the topic at hand, Haar, one of the individuals involved in creating the letter, acknowledges that there is a level of uncertainty when it comes to ethical considerations. While he agrees that promoting potentially addictive beverages to individuals who are asleep raises ethical concerns, he doesn’t completely dismiss the idea of using these techniques for commercial purposes. He poses a thought-provoking question, wondering if popular language-learning app Duolingo could incorporate dream incubation into their practices. Additionally, he suggests the possibility of Marvel Entertainment creating dreams of being Iron Man for children. Haar humbly admits that he does not hold the sole authority on ethical matters, as his expertise lies in the scientific aspects.
Imagine how satisfying it would be to discover a foolproof technique for learning language effortlessly. However, many individuals are skeptical of the notion that corporate interests might exploit such a method and interfere with their personal aspirations. Nevertheless, the truth is that dream engineering holds immense potential in the realm of sleep research, offering countless possibilities and revolutionizing the field in diverse ways.
Have you ever experienced that blissful state of deep, uninterrupted sleep? The kind where your mind is perfectly clear, and you are completely lost in a world of dreams? Well, that is what we call lucid sleep. It’s like diving into a pool of pure tranquility, where your thoughts are free to roam and your subconscious takes the wheel. Just imagine the feeling of being in complete control of your dreams, where you can fly, travel to distant planets, or even encounter mythical creatures. Lucid sleep is an extraordinary phenomenon that allows us to explore the depths of our imagination and unlock a world of infinite possibilities. So, the next time you drift off to sleep, why not embrace the opportunity to experience the wonders of lucid sleep? Who knows what extraordinary adventures await you in the realm of dreams?
Let’s begin with a fascinating experiment conducted by a group of individuals from Montreal. They came up with a brilliant idea to create a virtual reality flying game, where volunteers could put on headsets and embark on an adventure through an enchanting world filled with mountains and tunnels. What’s interesting is that after just 15 minutes of experiencing this VR flight, the participants noticed a significant increase in their dreams about flying. During their short naps in the laboratory, their likelihood of dreaming about flying escalated by five times, and even when they went to sleep in the comfort of their own homes later that night, the likelihood shot up by eight times! This highlights the profound impact that this VR game had on their subconscious minds, resulting in vivid dreams portraying the exhilarating sensation of flight.
In the meanwhile, a group of scientists at the MIT Media Lab has been working on a fascinating technology that has the potential to shape our dreams while we are in a unique sleep stage known as the hypnagogic state. This state occurs just as we start to doze off and is characterized by a sort of semi-lucid sleep. The team, led by Haar, has created a sophisticated glove called Dormio that can be worn on the hand. This smart glove is designed to detect subtle changes in the muscles, heart rate, and skin conductance. These changes serve as indicators of when a person is transitioning into the initial stages of light sleep. Once this transition is detected, the device provides an audio cue, such as the words “fork” or “tree.” In a study published in Consciousness and Cognition in 2020, it was found that when sleeping participants were prompted with the word “tree,” about 67 percent of the reports collected after they woke up mentioned something related to a tree. This groundbreaking technology shows great promise in influencing our dreams during the early stages of sleep.
During her time in high school, one researcher named Michelle Carr had frequent encounters with sleep paralysis. However, it wasn’t until she was studying as an undergraduate that she had her first lucid dream. In this unique experience, Carr was fully conscious that she was dreaming just as she was waking up, and this actually disrupted the onset of a paralysis episode. This discovery led her to consider the potential of lucid dreaming as a form of therapy for individuals with nightmares and other sleep disorders. As a neuroscientist, Carr is now at the forefront, utilizing the latest technological advancements to explore this field. Her innovative approach incorporates virtual reality, sensory stimulation, and various other techniques to manipulate the content of dreams in unimaginable ways. Ultimately, Carr believes that these developments shed new light on the importance of studying dreams and, more importantly, how they can be beneficial to our lives.
According to Tore Nielsen, who heads the Dream and Nightmare Laboratory at Sacred Heart Hospital in Montreal, beliefs about dreams have undergone a significant shift in recent times. In the past, researchers held the view that dreams were highly mysterious and almost impenetrable. Up until the discovery of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in the 1950s, it was widely believed that the mind completely shut out any external stimuli during dreams, rendering them beyond control. However, groundbreaking advancements in technology that allow scientists to track eye movements during REM sleep have paved the way for a whole new understanding. This innovation has enabled experts to communicate with individuals experiencing lucid dreams, uncovering a previously unexplored realm of exploration and research.
Technologies like virtual reality (VR) and those utilized by Dormio have unlocked new ways to reach and influence individuals in their dream state, according to Nielsen. This previously elusive realm is now becoming more receptive and open to collaboration with researchers aiming to uncover its mysteries. It’s as if a once impenetrable fortress is now yielding, allowing curious minds to delve deeper into its hidden wonders.
Some experts in this area are less certain about the ability to shape dreams, but remain hopeful about the possibilities of dream manipulation. According to Jennifer Windt, a philosopher and cognitive scientist at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, while there have been some achievements with modern techniques, dreams are quite resistant to control. She explains that although we may be able to influence dreams to some extent, it is unlikely that we can fully control or script them.
On the flip side, according to her, dream engineering presents an opportunity to delve into one of the most challenging issues in the realms of science and philosophy: consciousness. This is because dreams have the ability to penetrate the depths of the mind, much like the vast uncharted territories of the ocean. By tapping into this unexplored realm, dream engineering holds the promise of unraveling the mysteries of consciousness that have long perplexed scholars and thinkers.
According to Windt, scientists are discovering that sleep and wakefulness are more alike than previously believed. In fact, wakefulness is shown to possess dreamlike and sleep-like qualities. Windt, a researcher who focuses on studying mind-wandering and dreaming, explains that the similarity extends not only to the way we subjectively experience wakefulness and dreaming but also to the neurological patterns observed in these states. This new understanding challenges the traditional notion of sleep as being vastly different from waking consciousness.
Exploring the realm of dreams can shed light on how different phases of slumber, and potentially the dreams themselves, contribute to the sharpening of memory and the process of learning. According to Nielsen, the importance of sleep in strengthening memory has been well-established for many years. However, the extent to which dreaming is involved in this consolidation has remained a topic of debate.
However, there are moral concerns surrounding this research that may hinder its progress. This dual nature of the field became apparent in a study conducted in 2014. During this study, participants were exposed to the combined scent of rotting fish and cigarettes while they slept, with the aim of helping them quit smoking. Surprisingly, this technique proved to be successful. Participants who experienced these unpleasant odors during sleep smoked significantly fewer cigarettes the following week. Nonetheless, a research paper published in 2020, which highlighted the potential of dream manipulation, including the positive outcomes of the 2014 smoking study, cautioned that such manipulation could also be exploited for less honorable purposes like influencing political biases or creating sexual attraction. It’s important to note that the risks associated with this research extend beyond dubious schemes and unscrupulous advertising.
If dreams do indeed have an impact on our memories and emotions, as suggested by numerous researchers, then we may need to consider the potential implications of manipulating this realm. It is crucial for us to fully comprehend the purpose and function of dreams before interfering with them. Windt recognizes the validity of these concerns. If her findings are correct and dreaming is comparable to waking states like daydreaming, then when we engage in dream engineering, we are only manipulating a portion of the overall consciousness experience rather than the entirety of it. This raises an important question: should we be meddling with this concept at all?
When it comes to Coors, the challenge is that even if you manage to implant the image of their famous bubbling streams into someone’s subconscious, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee a sudden desire for a cold beer. It could instead trigger feelings of fear, unease, the stench of decaying fish, or some other mysterious reactions in the complex human mind.