The Dreamcatcher: Interactive Storytelling of Dreams

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Sleep Science

Background:

• The continuity hypothesis, suggesting dreams reflect waking life, is well-supported by sleep scientists.
• Public awareness and understanding of dream analysis benefits for daily life improvement remain limited.
• Few interactive tools exist to explore the connection between dreams and waking experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To raise public awareness about the benefits of dream analysis for understanding and improving daily life.
• To investigate the effectiveness of an interactive visualization tool in communicating the continuity hypothesis.
• To explore user reactions and potential concerns regarding dream data collection and privacy.

Main Methods:

• Development of "The Dreamcatcher," an interactive visual tool showcasing the link between dreams and waking life using dream reports.
• A user study involving 154 participants who interacted with "The Dreamcatcher."
• Pre- and post-interaction surveys to assess changes in beliefs about dream analysis and concerns about data sharing.

Main Results:

• A 25% increase in participants believing that dream analysis can improve daily life after using the tool.
• The visualization effectively informed users about the continuity hypothesis, increasing engagement with the concept.
• Increased user concerns regarding the privacy of sharing personal dream reports were observed.

Conclusions:

• Interactive visualizations can significantly enhance public understanding and belief in the benefits of dream analysis.
• The study highlights the potential of the continuity hypothesis as an accessible concept for public engagement.
• Designing privacy-aware tools is crucial for future dream data collection and research, addressing user concerns.