Gender differences in nightmares, bad dreams and sexual dreaming

Abstract

This study has examined if there were gender differences in frequency of nightmare and bad dreams and sexual dreaming in a Norwegian population. Previous research has shown mixed results relating to these dreaming habits, but an overweight of research has indeed found gender differences. Three hypotheses were presented, stating that women would have more nightmares and bad dreams than men (H1), men would have more sexual dream experiences than women (H2) and women would experience more dreams in general than men (H3). A daily dreaming questionnaire was sent out for respondents (N=87) to answer every day during a period of four weeks. Hypotheses were analyzed in SPSS and t-tests showed no significant gender differences, meaning none of the three hypotheses were supported. H1 and H3 showed low effect sizes, while H2 showed a low to medium effect size. Sample characteristics and sample size in addition to methodological factors might have influenced this study`s results to deviate from other research results. Research on dreaming is still in need of more exploration and elaboration, and studies on gender differences related to sexual dreaming and nightmare experiences might be convenient in reaching a better understanding of gender differences in dreaming habits and mental health issues.