Why do we dream? - Amy Adkins

譯者: Deborah Deng 審譯者: Regina Chu

In the third millenium BCE,

公元前三千年

Mesopotamian kings recorded and interpreted their dreams on wax tablets.

美索不達米亞諸王在蠟板上 記錄及解讀他們的夢

A thousand years later,

一千多年之後

Ancient Egyptians wrote a dream book

古埃及人寫了一本有關夢境的書

listing over a hundred common dreams and their meanings.

書中記載了一百多種 常見的夢境及其涵義

And in the years since,

自那時候起

we haven't paused in our quest to understand why we dream.

我們從未停止探索 我們作夢的原因

So, after a great deal of scientific research,

所以，儘管在大量的科學研究

technological advancement,

科技的進步

and persistence,

以及堅持之下

we still don't have any definite answers, but we have some interesting theories.

我們仍然沒有任何確切的答案 但我們發現了一些有趣的理論

We dream to fulfill our wishes.

我們在夢裡實現我們的願望

In the early 1900s,

在 20 世紀初期

Sigmund Freud proposed that while all of our dreams, including our nightmares,

西格蒙德·佛洛伊德提出 我們所作的夢，包括噩夢

are a collection of images from our daily conscious lives,

是從我們有意識的日常生活中 所集成的一套表像

they also have symbolic meanings,

這些夢也有一些象徵性的涵義

which relate to the fulfillment of our subconscious wishes.

這些涵義與我們在潛意識中 想實現的願望有關

Freud theorized that everything we remember when we wake up from a dream

佛洛伊德的理論認為 我們從夢中醒來還記得的事情

is a symbolic representation

便是象徵我們在無意識下

of our unconscious primitive thoughts, urges, and desires.

原始想法、衝動、和慾望的表現

Freud believed that by analyzing those remembered elements,

佛洛伊德相信 藉由分析這些你所記得的元素

the unconscious content would be revealed to our conscious mind,

這些無意識的內容 得以在我們清醒的意識下揭露

and psychological issues stemming from its repression

而那些從無意識的壓抑 所衍生的心理問題

could be addressed and resolved.

得以抒發和處理

We dream to remember.

我們為了記憶而作夢

To increase performance on certain mental tasks,

要增強一些心智工作的效能

sleep is good,

睡眠是很好的方法

but dreaming while sleeping is better.

但睡眠中作夢更好

In 2010, researchers found

2010 年研究人員發現

that subjects were much better at getting through a complex 3-D maze

實驗對象能夠更容易地 穿過複雜的 3D 立體迷宫

if they had napped and dreamed of the maze prior to their second attempt.

如果他們在第二次嘗試前 曾經小睡及夢到這個迷宫

In fact, they were up to ten times better at it

實際上他們的表現能逹到十倍好

than those who only thought of the maze while awake between attempts,

相較於那些僅在試驗間清醒時段 想過那迷宮的試驗者

and those who napped but did not dream about the maze.

以及小睡過 但未夢到迷宮的試驗者

Researchers theorize that certain memory processes

研究人員認為 有些記憶處理過程

can happen only when we are asleep,

只能在我們睡著時才能發生

and our dreams are a signal that these processes are taking place.

而我們的夢 正是這些過程發生的訊號

We dream to forget.

我們為了忘記而作夢

There are about 10,000 trillion neural connections

大約有一千兆個神經連結

within the architecture of your brain.

在你的大腦結構之中

They are created by everything you think and everything you do.

它們從你所想所做的 全部事物中產生

A 1983 neurobiological theory of dreaming, called reverse learning,

1983 年有個研究夢的 神經生物學理論，叫反向學習

holds that while sleeping, and mainly during REM sleep cycles,

說在睡眠時 並主要在快速動眼 (REM) 期間

your neocortex reviews these neural connections

你的大腦新皮質 會回顧這些神經連結

and dumps the unnecessary ones.

捨棄非必須的連結

Without this unlearning process,

如果沒有在夢境中排除記憶

which results in your dreams,

your brain could be overrun by useless connections

你的腦子可能會充斥無用的連結

and parasitic thoughts could disrupt the necessary thinking

還有寄生的想法

可能干擾你在清醒時必需做的思考

you need to do while you're awake.

We dream to keep our brains working.

我們為了讓我們的腦子運作而作夢

The continual activation theory proposes that your dreams result

「持續活化理論」提出 你的夢是來自

from your brain's need to constantly consolidate and create long-term memories

腦子需要不斷整合及產生 長期記憶而造成的

in order to function properly.

如此才能正常運作

So when external input falls below a certain level,

所以當外來的輸入 降到了某一個程度

like when you're asleep,

譬如你睡著時

your brain automatically triggers

你的腦子自動地觸發

the generation of data from its memory storages,

記憶儲存區產生資訊

which appear to you in the form of the thoughts and feelings

而呈現給你的

是在你夢裡經歷的想法和感覺

you experience in your dreams.

In other words,

換句話說

your dreams might be a random screen saver your brain turns on

你的夢可能是腦子開啟的 一個隨機螢幕保護程式

so it doesn't completely shut down.

因而它不完全關閉

We dream to rehearse.

我們作夢來預演

Dreams involving dangerous and threatening situations are very common,

夢中包含危險及有威脅的情況 是很平常的

and the primitive instinct rehearsal theory

而「原始本能預演理論」認為

holds that the content of a dream is significant to its purpose.

夢的內容對於它的目的是很重要的

Whether it's an anxiety-filled night of being chased through the woods by a bear

不論它是個在森林中 被熊追的焦慮夜晚

or fighting off a ninja in a dark alley,

或是在黑暗的山谷中對抗一個忍者

these dreams allow you to practice your fight or flight instincts

這些夢讓你練習 你的打鬥或跳跑的直覺

and keep them sharp and dependable in case you'll need them in real life.

並保持對這些技能的敏銳和信賴 以防你在現實生活中的需要

But it doesn't always have to be unpleasant.

但這並非全是不愉快的

For instance, dreams about your attractive neighbor

譬如夢到那位嫵媚動人的鄰居

could actually give your reproductive instinct some practice, too.

也可以實際給你的 生殖直覺一些練習

We dream to heal.

我們作夢來療傷

Stress neurotransmitters in the brain are much less active

腦中的壓力神經傳導物質

在睡眠中的快速動眼期 (REM) 比較不活躍

during the REM stage of sleep,

even during dreams of traumatic experiences,

甚至在充滿創傷經驗的 夢中也是如此

leading some researchers to theorize

這讓研究人員提出下列的理論

that one purpose of dreaming is to take the edge off painful experiences

作夢的原因之一 是緩和痛苦的經驗

to allow for psychological healing.

來允許心理上的復原

Reviewing traumatic events in your dreams with less mental stress

在夢中以較輕的心理壓力 來回顧受創事件

may grant you a clearer perspective

可以給你一個更清楚的視角

and enhanced ability to process them in psychologically healthy ways.

和增強用心理健康的方法 處理這些事件的能力

People with certain mood disorders and PTSD often have difficulty sleeping,

患有特定情緒失調 及創傷後壓力症候群 (PTSD) 的人

常有睡眠上的困難

leading some scientists to believe that lack of dreaming

這讓一些科學家相信

缺少夢境可能是 他們得病的一個因素

may be a contributing factor to their illnesses.

We dream to solve problems.

我們作夢來解決問題

Unconstrained by reality and the rules of conventional logic,

不受限於現實和慣例邏輯的規則

in your dreams, your mind can create limitless scenarios

在你的夢中 你的心智可以創造

無數的情境 來幫助你暸解問題

to help you grasp problems

and formulate solutions that you may not consider while awake.

和制訂在你清醒時 無法考慮的解決辦法

John Steinbeck called it the committee of sleep,

約翰‧史坦貝克稱它為 「睡眠委員會」

and research has demonstrated

研究人員也展示了

the effectiveness of dreaming on problem solving.

夢在解決問題上的功效

It's also how renowned chemist August Kekule

這也是著名的化學家 奧古斯汀‧凱庫勒

discovered the structure of the benzene molecule,

發現苯分子結構的途徑

and it's the reason that sometimes the best solution for a problem

而這個理由也是我們有時說 找到解決問題的最佳方法

is to sleep on it.

是睡覺想一想

And those are just a few of the more prominent theories.

而這些只是一部份較著名的理論

As technology increases our capability for understanding the brain,

隨著科技增進我們 了解腦子的能力

it's possible that one day

有一天可能我們會發現

we will discover the definitive reason for them.

作夢的決定性理由

But until that time arrives, we'll just have to keep on dreaming.

但是直到那一刻來臨 我們只能持續地作夢