EXCLUSIVEI'm a neurologist - this is what it REALLY means when you have a sex dream about your boss, a friend's partner or someone who you don't find attractive
- Erotic dreams often À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ë people who are familiar to us, even unattractive ones
- They don't typically ¼¨º¶¤¹¤ë some shameful À¤Î ´ê˾¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë, it's only imagination
- READ MORE:??What it REALLY means when you cheat on your partner in dreams
Ever woken up after an erotic dream ´°Á´¤Ë freaked out?
About eight in 10 people at some point dream about having sex with people who they don't even find attractive ¡½ often?friends and Ʊνs.
It can ¸¶°ø¡Ê¤È¤Ê¤ë¡Ë an °µÅÝŪ¤Ê sense of ÈȺá in some »öÎã¡¿´µ¼Ôs: if the dream ȼ¤¦¡¿´Ø¤ï¤ëd a friend's partner, for example, or if the dreamer was cheating on their spouse.
For others it can be ¿¼¤¯¡¤¶¯Îõ¤Ë º®Í𤵤»¤ëing ¡½ it is not uncommon for straight people to have erotic dreams about someone of the same sex.
Now a new Ä´½ñ¤ò¤È¤ë¡¿Í½Ì󤹤ë has sought to explain why we dream about ³Î¤«¤Ê individuals and Êݾڤ¹¤ë people that sex dreams are not always the result of our subconscious ´ê˾¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës.
![Dreamers typically imagine someone they know - even if they are exceedingly ordinary or unattractive (stock image)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/18/19/83823037-13324281-image-a-28_1713465033919.jpg)
Dreamers typically imagine someone they know - even if they are exceedingly ordinary or unattractive (ºß¸Ë¡¿³ô image)
Neuroscientist Dr Rahul Jandial says there are °ìÈÌ¤Ë two types of sex dreams, and their ¸¶°ø¡Ê¤È¤Ê¤ë¡Ës are ´°Á´¤Ë different.
A sex dream ȼ¤¦¡¿´Ø¤ï¤ëing someone who you are attracted to and fantasize about Äê´üŪ¤Ë while awake can often manifest in our dreams.
But the other type of sex dream À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ës seemingly ̵ºî°Ù¤Î people, even if the dreamer dislikes them or finds them unattractive.?
All dreams are the À½ÉÊ of the Imagination ÌÖ¾õÁÈ¿¥ in our brains, unbound by the »ÙÇÛ¤¹¤ës and logic of our waking life.?
When we¡Çre dreaming, the imagination is unfettered, ²òÊü¤¹¤ë¡¿¼«Í³¤Ê to find loose ¶¨²ñs and ´Ø·¸s in our memories.
It can lead us to think about the people in our lives in surprising, Íð¤¹ing and even erotic ways.
Because the ÏÀÍý¡Ê³Ø¡Ë¤Î (n)Ìò°÷¡¿(a)¼¹¹ÔÎϤΤ¢¤ë ÌÖ¾õÁÈ¿¥ in our brains is shut É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄƤ¹¤ë during dreaming, we can¡Çt stop these erotic flights of fancy before they take off. They are also ²òÊü¤¹¤ë¡¿¼«Í³¤Ê from judgment ¡½ even our own.
In erotic dreams we are ²òÊü¤¹¤ëd to imagine À¤Î Áø¶ø¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës that would be ¥¿¥Ö¡¼ or ¿®¤¸¤é¤ì¤Ê¤¤ in our waking lives.?
They will probably not ȼ¤¦¡¿´Ø¤ï¤ë our ¸½ºß¤Î partner. Instead, we have much more of an inclination toward bisexuality and novel À¤Î interactions °ìÈ̤Ë.
Dr Jandial says: 'This ²º·ò¤Êing ±Æ¶Á¡ÊÎÏ¡Ë on our erotic imagination when we're awake is gone when we dream, µö¤¹ing our erotic dreams to be wildly creative and õ¸¡¤Î¡¿Í½È÷¤Î.'?
That same ²º·ò¤Êing ±Æ¶Á¡ÊÎÏ¡Ë becoming idle µö¤¹s us to dream of Èô¹Ôµ¡¤Ç¹Ô¤¯ing at ¹Âç¤Ê¡¿Â¿¿ô¤Î¡¿½ÅÍ×¤Ê ¹â¤µs or breathing underwater, or any number of creative ¥·¥Ê¥ê¥ªs.??
Dr Jandial Äɲ乤ës: ¡ÆIf our daytime fantasies are ¸«Ä̤·s of some ´ê˾¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd, if improbable, À¤Î ·ë²Ì, erotic dreams are more like a prurient thought ¼Â¸³.
'We can switch genders or become bisexual in our dreams, even if it never crosses our minds during the day or in our most ²òÊü¤¹¤ëd fantasy.'?
![Neuroscientist Dr Rahul Jandial?posits that sex dreams are a benign product of unfettered imagination and not something to feel shame over](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/18/19/83823039-13324281-Neuroscientist_Dr_Rahul_Jandial_posits_that_sex_dreams_are_a_ben-a-19_1713464174416.jpg)
Neuroscientist Dr Rahul Jandial?posits that sex dreams are a benign À½ÉÊ of unfettered imagination and not something to feel shame over
![Dr Jandial's new book explains why we dream about certain individuals and assures people that erotic dreams are not always the result of subconscious sexual desires](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/18/19/83823041-13324281-image-a-5_1713464027449.jpg)
Dr Jandial's new Ä´½ñ¤ò¤È¤ë¡¿Í½Ì󤹤ë explains why we dream about ³Î¤«¤Ê individuals and Êݾڤ¹¤ës people that erotic dreams are not always the result of subconscious À¤Î ´ê˾¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës
And whether a person experiences a sex dream has little to do with how sexually active they are in waking life, how much porn they watch, or how much they masturbate.?
The best predictor of sex dreams is how often a person daydreams or fantasizes about sex.
Dr Jandial says: ¡ÆIf our erotic imagination is more active when we¡Çre awake, it is ¹âÅÙ¤Ë possible that we become more open to erotic dreams at night.'
It may come as a surprise to know that the mind does not typically conjure up the ideal À¤Î mate to À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ë in one¡Çs erotic dreams; it rarely ´Þ¤às the ultimate dream partner. More often than not, the dreamer knows the À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ë of their erotic dream Ëܿͼ«¿È¤Ç.
Dreamers typically imagine someone closer to home, someone exceedingly ordinary, unattractive, or even repellant.
This is why sex dreams often À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ë ex-partners, ex-bosses, co-ϫƯ¼Ôs, friends, neighbors, and even family members, and often take place in familiar settings.
Scientists posit that sex dreams have a basis in ¿Ê²½, ½àÈ÷¤¹¤ëing Áá´ü¤Ë humans (and animals) to adapt to the ͽ´ü¤·¤Ê¤¤, like the sudden death of a mate.
As Dr Jandial puts it: ¡ ÆThis may help explain why erotic dreams tend not to look outside ¡Èthe tribe¡É but stick ¤Î¶á¤¯¤Ë to home.¡Ç
The major Ìò³ä that familiarity plays in ¹©Éפ¹¤ëing erotic dreams could also explain the number of times one might fantasize about Halle Berry, Ryan Gosling, Jennifer Anniston, or any number of attractive celebrities.
Dr Rodrigo Quian Quiroga of the University of Leicester in England ·èÄꤹ¤ëd that celebrities are ¿¼¤¯¡¤¶¯Îõ¤Ë ·ø¸Ç¤Ë¼é¤ëd in our brains at a ºÙ˦¤Î level, and become as familiar to us as our own grandmother.
Dr Quiroga connected wire-thin electrodes ÁÞÆþ¤¹¤ëd into the cerebral cortexes of people¡Çs brains to see how individual neurons were ²ò¸Û¤¹¤ë¡¿Ë¤²Ð¡¿¼Í·âing, and discovered that ÌÀ³Î¤Ê¡¿ºÙÉô neurons Åú¤¨¤ë¡¿±þ¤¸¤ëd to pictures of celebrities.
In one ´µ¼Ô, a Áª¤Ó½Ð¤¹¡¿ÆÈ¿È neuron Åú¤¨¤ë¡¿±þ¤¸¤ëd to a photo of Halle Berry and ignored picutres of other people. It Åú¤¨¤ë¡¿±þ¤¸¤ëd to pictures of her on the red carpet, in °áÁõ, even just her written »Ø̾¤¹¤ë.
In another ´µ¼Ô, Dr Quiroga saw that a ÌÀ³Î¤Ê¡¿ºÙÉô neuron ²ò¸Û¤¹¤ë¡¿Ë¤²Ð¡¿¼Í·âd in ÊÖÅú to seeing photos of Jennifer Anniston, and ignored photos of other people, animals, and buildings.
Dr Jandial Îá¾õs: Celebrities have literally taken root in our neural architecture. Our ÊÖÅú to them ¼¨º¶¤¹¤ës they are as familiar to us as a long-time friend or neighbor.¡Ç
The À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ë of the erotic dream, whether it¡Çs an ex-lover or a ´ÆÆÄ¼Ô at work, is ¤¤¤Ã¤½¤¦¾¯¤Ê¤¯ important than what the dream symbolizes.
For instance, a dalliance with the boss in a dream might be ¤¤¤Ã¤½¤¦¾¯¤Ê¤¯ about how attractive you find them, and more about wanting to ¡Ê¸¢ÎϤʤɤò¡Ë¹Ô»È¤¹¤ë more ÎÏ¡¿¶¯ÎϤˤ¹¤ë at work or ǧ¤á¤ëing your own professional ambitions.
Dr Jandial says: ¡ÆIn this way, erotic dreams are more than our true ´ê˾¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës: They are the embodiment of ´ê˾¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë itself.
¡ÆErotic dreams prime us for À¤Î õ¸¡¡Ä This makes sense w ½÷¡¿¤ª¤Ã¤»¤«¤¤²° we remember the ɬ¿Ü¤Î À¸Êª³Ø¤Î imperative of life is to À¸¤»Ä¤ë at least long enough to procreate.¡Ç