Drive

Since the age of Freudian psychoanalytic theories, science has attempted to answer a pair of seemingly simple questions. Why do we dream and what do they mean? But these ‘seemingly simple questions’ are actually quite difficult to answer. One theory suggests that dreams result from our brains piecing together random bits of activity they experience during sleep. Another theory suggests that dreams aren’t a result of this random activity, but in fact are related to our motivations and desires due to what’s called the dopamine pathway. Associate Professor Simon Boag from Macquarie University joined us to talk about the theories behind why we dream and what they mean.