The effects of dream rebound: Evidence for emotion-processing theories of dreaming

Article

Malinowski, J., Carr, Michelle, Edwards, Christopher, Ingarfill, Anya and Pinto, Alexandra 2019. The effects of dream rebound: Evidence for emotion-processing theories of dreaming. Journal of Sleep Research. 28 (Art. e12827). https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12827
AuthorsMalinowski, J., Carr, Michelle, Edwards, Christopher, Ingarfill, Anya and Pinto, Alexandra
Abstract

Suppressing thoughts often leads to a “rebound” effect, both in waking cognition (thoughts) and in sleep cognition (dreams). Rebound may be influenced by the valence of the suppressed thought, but there is currently no research on the effects of valence on dream rebound. Further, the effects of dream rebound on subsequent emotional response to a suppressed thought have not been studied before. The present experiment aimed to investigate whether emotional valence of a suppressed thought affects dream rebound, and whether dream rebound subsequently influences subjective emotional response to the suppressed thought. Participants (N=77) were randomly assigned to a pleasant or unpleasant thought suppression condition, suppressed their target thought for five minutes pre-sleep every evening, reported the extent to they successfully suppressed the thought, and reported their dreams every morning, for seven days. It was found that unpleasant thoughts were more prone to dream rebound than pleasant thoughts. There was no effect of valence on the success or failure of suppression during wakefulness. Dream rebound and successful suppression were each found to have beneficial effects for subjective emotional response to both pleasant and unpleasant thoughts. The results may lend support for an emotion-processing theory of dream function.

JournalJournal of Sleep Research
Journal citation28 (Art. e12827)
ISSN0962-1105
Year2019
PublisherWiley for European Sleep Research Society
Accepted author manuscript
License
File Access Level
Anyone
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12827
Web address (URL)https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12827
Publication dates
Online12 Mar 2019
Publication process dates
Deposited11 Jan 2019
Accepted20 Dec 2018
Accepted20 Dec 2018
FunderUniversity of East London
University of East London
Copyright holder© 2019 European Sleep Research Society
Copyright informationThis is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Malinowski, Josie E. and Carr, Michelle and Edwards, Christopher and Ingarfill, Anya and Pinto, Alexandra ‘The effects of dream rebound: Evidence for emotion-processing theories of dreaming’, Journal of Sleep Research, 28:e12827, which has been published in final form at: https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12827. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.
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