Thread: Television and Lucid Dreaming

Television is a very passive endeavor. It is also a self-contained reality that forces us to remain indifferent to the multitude of images and events that are presented in rapid succession. The events and stories can be very 'dream-like' and may lower our questioning of what really is reality. In short, the programs it displays may be counter-productive in the induction and longevity of our lucid dreams. Under this experiment, we will test whether lucid dreaming and dreaming in general is effected by the amount of television watched weekly.

Below is a rough outline of the experiment.

Hypothesis: Television cultivates an environment that is detrimental to dreaming lucidly.

Experiment:
Independent Variable: Amount of time spent watching television per week.
Dependent Variable: Number of lucid dreams per week.

Control:
For the control I would very much like a few people who spend an average two and a half to four hours each day, about seventeen and a half a week, of television watching to post their number of lucid dreams each week and the number of remembered dreams.

Members of this group should have had a lucid dream in the past.

Experimental Group:
I would appreciate if a few people would discontinue watching television for about two or three weeks. Or, at most, watch about three and a half hours per week, or about thirty minutes each day. During that time you must perform reality checks every five minutes, or if something significantly strange occurs on screen. If on average you already watch that much television, record the number of lucid dreams you have and the number of dreams you remember and post them here.

Members of this group should also have had a lucid dream. Both the control and the experimental group will continue all their ordinary routines for inducing lucid dreams.

Time Frame:
Five weeks, perhaps? Two months or more may allow for greater accuracy.

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Please post questions, comments, or anything to discuss this experiment. I'm hoping at least five to ten people will join in. I'll be attempting the experiment myself and posting my results here.

sorry i cant participate in the full experiment (cant live with no TV ) , but i will perform reality checks regularly during TV shows and tell you how i get on then (ill PM you with results in a week or two and then again after another 2 weeks!) because i think this would be more helpful than not watching TV at all, in the sense that TV situations are regularly the same as dream situations and therefore performing RC's during TV shows, and performing RC's whenever i see something connected to TV at all will be better than performing RCs in normal everyday situations.

oh, and youll need to know somewones LDing skill beforehand so that you dont have a loose variable on your hands.
maybe you can do a LDs per month ratio for people and then you can average it all out? time consuming but it would give very accurate results.
just a suggestion

I could be a semi useful guinea pig but I get maybe, 1-3 lucid dreams a month and watch an hour and a half to two hours a day.

Great. Thanks for your interest, Sparky and Damascus. You can start anytime you would like. This doesn't really need to be scientific for now - just want to see if there is any noticable difference before we start a full on research project. Keep track of your lucid dreams and, if possible, your regular dreams as well, and see if there is any change.


I've been doing a little research on television and its effect on the human body and brain.

From Television Addiction

To study people's reactions to TV, researchers have undertaken laboratory experiments in which they have monitored the brain waves (using an electroencephalograph, or EEG), skin resistance or heart rate of people watching television. To track behavior and emotion in the normal course of life, as opposed to the artificial conditions of the lab, we have used the Experience Sampling Method (ESM). Participants carried a beeper, and we signaled them six to eight times a day, at random, over the period of a week; whenever they heard the beep, they wrote down what they were doing and how they were feeling using a standardized scorecard.

As one might expect, people who were watching TV when we beeped them reported feeling relaxed and passive. The EEG studies similarly show less mental stimulation, as measured by alpha brain-wave production, during viewing than during reading.
[/b]

What is more surprising is that the sense of relaxation ends when the set is turned off, but the feelings of passivity and lowered alertness continue. Survey participants commonly reflect that television has somehow absorbed or sucked out their energy, leaving them depleted. They say they have more difficulty concentrating after viewing than before. In contrast, they rarely indicate such difficulty after reading. After playing sports or engaging in hobbies, people report improvements in mood. After watching TV, people's moods are about the same or worse than before[/b]

From Cause of Addiction

Alpha [brain waves] ranges between 7-12 hertz and is prominent during relaxation mostly with eyes closed, day dreaming, and upon deep self-introspection.[/b]

Psychophysiologist Thomas Mulholland found that after just 30 seconds of watching television the brain begins to produce alpha waves, which indicates torpid (almost comatose) [slow] rates of activity. Alpha brain waves are associated with unfocused, overly receptive states of consciousness. [/b]

Out of all the different types of brain waves there is a very interesting range called the Alpha-Theta border. I've already mentioned that the Alpha was half the story, well the Theta wave is the other half of a state of mind that brings about creativity, intelligence, and a host of other abilities the brain is capable of doing when properly stimulated.

It is a state where the central nervous system reduces input from the peripheral nervous system. The lowering of sensory input serves to normally protect the central nervous system from sensory overload caused by stress or physical damage.

Without these outside functions for the brain to control the brain expands its functioning powers. The normally unused portion of the brain becomes active and performs at maximum capacity. This range is between 7-8 hertz and this is not so surprising when you learn that the resonant frequency of the earth and ionosphere is approximately 7.5 hertz. Our brains evolved within this dynamic field and used it as a standard to function on. The mind experiences the body in a half-in half-out state of sleep or detachment. The feeling is of being conscious of all things around you but the body being in deep relaxation.

Many cultures discovered this and the methods to achieve this state naturally and artificially. Many of the worlds religions were founded on reaching this state and devised strict disciplines to do so. The Alpha-Theta range occurs during reverie, hypnogogic imagery, meditation, and by self-hypnosis.
[/b]

From Discovery Health: Sleep and Dreams

REM
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stages lengthen through the night. The first REM cycle may be only 10 minutes while the last could last as long as an hour. During this cycle the heartbeat increases, breathing becomes shallow, eyes move rapidly, muscles are relaxed, and dreams are most vivid. Brain waves resemble those during waking.[/b]

From EEG Activity During Lucid Dreaming

During complex mental activity and high levels of arousal, EEG fre-quency is at its highest; beta frequencies predominate and alpha levels are relatively low. EEG recordings during relaxed wakefulness show the highest levels of alpha, and Rechtschaffen and Kales (1968) define Stage 1 sleep as beginning when alpha levels fall below 50 percent.[/b]

Perhaps the alpha brain waves stimulated through watching TV, and the inactive and passive watching of the screen combine to reinforce a uninvolved approach to changing situations? Maybe watching television directly before bed can cause lowered brain activity? Although the REM state is mostly dominated by beta brain waves, alpha does occur as well. Perhaps the TV is conditioning the alpha brain wave state during periods of detatched observation of events and places?

Can't do this experiment. Can't stand television. The land of commercials.

Lucid Dreams: 0, decent recall
Hours of tv watched previous night: One hour and a half.

Not all that useful info

Can't stand television.[/b]

I could actually really use another person who doesn't watch TV to join in.

October 28, 2004

Lucid Dreams: 1 (Woo!)
Dream Recall: Good. I was able to recall a nightmare that I had before my lucid dream. I remember about two dreams in total and parts of others.
Hours of TV Watched: 0

Circumstances of Lucid Dream: Woke up at about 3:30 AM and reminded myself to lucid dream when I fell back asleep - whereupon I did.

Notes: I don't think my lucid dream was a result of me not watching TV. Not directly, at least.

Lucid Dreams: None
Recall:Decent
Clarity: Fab.
Hours of tv watchedHalf an hour

My clarity was really good when I didn't watch much tv, but that could just be coincedence.

I watch absolutely no TV (land of commercials, haha). Do you want me to post my findings on the forum or message them to you?

I am going to begin after the elections. I am addicted. Otherwise I do not think it will be difficult for me because I do not watch much TV at all. An hour a week maybe. - OH ya. And the weather channel.
Anyway. My results will be posted at some point!

That would be great JonJon and Howetzer.

Do you want me to post my findings on the forum or message them to you?[/b]

Posting them here is fine and dandy.

This isn't really a very scientific study yet; just testing to see if there is any correlation between the two, positive or negative.


October 29, 2004

Lucid Dreams: 1 (Woo again!)
Dream Recall: Good. I remember my lucid dream with great clarity and another dream I had before. I can aslo remember some snippets from other parts of dreams. Mostly images.
Hours of TV Watched: About one and a half. I sat down for a second and the history channel drew me in.

Circumstances of Lucid Dream: Woke up at about 2:00 AM this time and reminded myself to lucid dream when I fell back asleep. This seems to be the best way for me to lucid dream. It's almost like an extremely short WBTB method. This also seems to put me into a dream already aware that I'm trying to lucid dream. About an hour before my lucidity I had reminded myself when I awoke to lucid dream when I fell back asleep. I did, with the idea in my head. However, I instead dreamt that I was trying to lucid dream - and in my dream I tried to go to sleep on a rug in my kitchen. This led to a false awakening and then I awoke directly after. Tried the method again and fell back asleep. This time I became lucid a few minutes into the dream.

Notes: I did watch TV, but I was actively aware of my watching. Mostly because I was regretting breaking my goal of not watching any.

Sorry bout the lack of info I've been posting, I have some good things I have to post. I have a class in 20 minutes, then Aikido, so I'll post it all soon.

Lucid Dreams: None
Recall1 dream
Hours of tv watched: 1

Well The election is over so I will post as promised.

Wednesday 11/03/04

Television watched: = Approx. four minutes. Checked the weather.
Dream recall = none.

TV = 0
Lucid Dreams = 1 this week. I've had a few very very vivid dreams in the past few days, but I never became lucid in them, even though they were insanely strange.

I can't take part in this experiment, but I am in a position where I might be able to provide insight or control a potential confounding variable.

My job is in production at a television station. My work includes the making of commercials that all of you so love and enjoy... ho ho...

Anyhoo. I spend much of my day in front of a television screen making what appears rather than passively observing the imagery.

Maybe I can be of assistance in some way? Let me know.

Hours of tv watched: 2 hours
Dream recall: excellent
Number of lucid dreams: 2!

Woo.

Hear is my update on the TV expierement

It is quite simple. I have made a concerted effort to not watch any television except the four to five minutes in the morning for the weather report, for I work outside.
I stopped after election night. = 11/02/04.
It is hard to truely guage waht is going on with my dream cycle. I am involved in to many of these expieriments at one time. I think I need to participate in one at a time.
Anyway Since 11/02/04 my dream recall has been horrible and last night was the first Lucid dream I have had in some time. I recall is crap. I think because I am too exhausted and mentally (challenged ) mentally streched.
In the week I have conducted this experiment I have recalled 6 dreams. none vivid.

Thanks for keeping this going, guys.

Unfortunately, I haven't made much effort lately to monitor my dreams and TV watching. I'm going to start again as soon as this week is over, for sure.

Anyhoo. I spend much of my day in front of a television screen making what appears rather than passively observing the imagery.

Maybe I can be of assistance in some way? Let me know.[/b]

Whatever you can contribute would be wonderful. I'd be especially interested in knowing about what your company think goes into good television watching - such as how to grab the consumer and such.

Blech.

Tv watched: 0 hours
Dream recall: decent
Lucid dreams: None

Tv watched: One hour
Lucid Dreams: 0
Dream Recall: Hardly any.

For all the days I've missed this is the exact data.

Originally posted by AcidBasick
Hypothesis: Television cultivates an environment that is detrimental to dreaming lucidly.

I too agree with your hypothesis. However I was befuddled by my results. I made a concious effort to not watch television. Which I did. My dream recall did not increase or improve.
But - I think I have figured out why.

First I do not watch hardley any television anyway. So I questioned what else may be playing a factor in this.
Conclusion. At work I puchased a pair of radio ear muffs which I listened to all day. Proir to this, my idol mind would think about numorous things throughout the day, some creative ohters task oriented. But what ever the subject I believe that the head phones were having the same effect on my mental state as would watching too much television or playing to many video games.
I stopped useing the headphones.
With headphones I only recall two Lucid dreams over a month or so.
One week without the headphones = Two Lucid dreams

This was an afterthought as well. So I don't believe that I had it in my mind first that the headphones were the cause.

No lucid dreams in the past 3 weeks, but my recall is bad too. That's probably cause I haven't been keeping up with my journal.

I have been having lots of dreams while half awake, but they are lost almost instantly too.