Thread: Can Lucid dreaming really change your personality?

Originally Posted by lucidfish

Kind of the opposite to the discussion, but could it change it for the better? Like say you wanted to become a little more outgoing, you could gain confidence in dreams because there aren't really any consequences, and thus you would maybe find it easier to be outgoing?

No.

People like to theorize this a lot, but it just doesn't work. I question if the part of your brain that deals with human interaction is even active when you are aware your are talking to a dummy.

Originally Posted by Loaf

No.

People like to theorize this a lot, but it just doesn't work. I question if the part of your brain that deals with human interaction is even active when you are aware your are talking to a dummy.

Would you really realize your talking to a dummy though? I mean in real life during a conversation you never stop and think whether the person you are talking to is real or not. Would it not be the same whilst dreaming? I would think that while talking to someone the only known reaction would be that these people can still react to how you interact with them. Never had a lucid dream though unfortunately, so you definitely could be right.

Originally Posted by lucidfish

Would you really realize your talking to a dummy though?

I highly doubt you'd accidentally dream you were in a highly pressured social situation if you weren't fond of them. If you did, I doubt it'd be anything other than a nightmare, probably just making it worse.

Its borderline useless suggesting ways to utilize dreams if you aren't lucid in them.

Even if the article was true, i would fight to keep my personality

Originally Posted by Loaf

People like to theorize this a lot, but it just doesn't work. I question if the part of your brain that deals with human interaction is even active when you are aware your are talking to a dummy.

I think this is a pretty big (and most-likely incorrect) assumption.

This is why customer service representatives, salesmen and the like have "role play" as a training method. It is because going through the motions (even if you know that it is just a simulation) does help force familiarity with the situation, and improves performance.

(Coincidentally, I actually tried experimenting with this last night, in a brief moment of lucidity, but it seemed like it took forever to walk across the beach, to where the chick I was going to talk to was, and I ended up losing lucidity before I got to her. lol.)

Originally Posted by Oneironaut Zero

I think this is a pretty big (and most-likely incorrect) assumption.

This is why customer service representatives, salesmen and the like have "role play" as a training method. It is because going through the motions (even if you know that it is just a simulation) does help force familiarity with the situation, and improves performance.

But this is direct interaction with a personal in reality. I heard about a study once that showed the brain responds differently to communication online, even if its video chat, then when you are face to face with another human being. I propose that in the dream it would be similar, and the mixture of that, an altered conscious state, and unrealistic bizarre conversation and reaction from DCs will dampen any social growth on the dreamers part.

Originally Posted by Loaf

But this is direct interaction with a personal in reality. I heard about a study once that showed the brain responds differently to communication online, even if its video chat, then when you are face to face with another human being. I propose that in the dream it would be similar, and the mixture of that, an altered conscious state, and unrealistic bizarre conversation and reaction from DCs will dampen any social growth on the dreamers part.

I'm not proposing that there isn't a "difference," but I think that a simulation is still effective in presenting conditions that can help familiarize yourself with a scenario. Even video games have been shown to increase cognitive performance in situations. Granted, it may not be to the same degree as interacting with an actual person. I don't think anyone is making that declaration. But does it help? I think it does. Do you have any evidence that it's completely ineffective? Because most of what I've seen points to the contrary.

Originally Posted by Oneironaut Zero

Granted, it may not be to the same degree as interacting with an actual person. I don't think anyone is making that declaration. But does it help? I think it does. Do you have any evidence that it's completely ineffective? Because most of what I've seen points to the contrary.

Asking me to propose evidence is fruitless. Nobody here can prove things in dreams. At best you could try to compare what is active in the barin during real conversation and dream conversation, but are you really trying to validate your view on the basis I don't have the equipment to properly test this? You know I can't. So don't go there, thats a poor argument.

There is no evidence to show it does help. In my personal experience, it hasn't. The problem with a lot of people are Dreamviews, and perhaps lucid dreamers everywhere, is that its all too easy to fantasize uses for lucid dreaming that simply don't exist.

How about we all focus on proving the massive list of theories such as this one, rather than creating them and trying to get other people to disprove them.

Originally Posted by Loaf

Asking me to propose evidence is fruitless. Nobody here can prove things in dreams. At best you could try to compare what is active in the barin during real conversation and dream conversation, but are you really trying to validate your view on the basis I don't have the equipment to properly test this?

There is no evidence to show it does help. In my personal experience, it hasn't. The problem with a lot of people are Dreamviews, and perhaps lucid dreamers everywhere, is that its all too easy to fantasize uses for lucid dreaming that simply don't exist.

How about we all focus on proving the massive list of theories such as this one, rather than creating them and trying to get other people to disprove them.

Nice dodge, but I'm simply asking for evidence that simulations don't help in real life situations; social or otherwise. Like I said, there is plenty of evidence to show that simulated experiences do help. You're making a statement that it doesn't, but you have absolutely nothing that shows that it doesn't. It's not a matter of trying to 'create a theory' (and I actually wonder about your using that terminology). I'm simply stating something that I believe is already backed by science. There is much more evidence that shows that a simulated experience helps in 'real life' perofrmance than there is of your assertion that they do not. That's all I'm saying, and I don't think it's too wild a speculation. Why do you?

Originally Posted by Oneironaut Zero

Nice dodge, but I'm simply asking for evidence that simulations don't help in real life situations; social or otherwise.

I've addressed that already and given my reasons for why this is likely to not work.

Originally Posted by Oneironaut Zero

Like I said, there is plenty of evidence to show that simulated experiences do help.

No there isn't.