From: Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Mon Nov 01 1999 - 03:49:06 MST
Robert Owen <rowen@technologist.com> writes:
> Has anyone considered the hypothesis suggested by sleep research
> and Hamlet that we sleep in order to dream? The peer-reviewed
> research finding that it is possible to induce psychosis in subjects
> if they are persistently awakened when REM states are detected
> implies, but does not prove, that dreaming is the necessary and
> sufficient condition for socialized cognition when awake.
Which studies do you refer to? Some of the old REM deprivation studies
have been questioned due to problems with set and setting, as well as
the deprivation methods. Of course, going without REM is almost
certainly bad for you anyway. There are some elegant rat studies (with
control rats awakened exactly as often as the REM deprived ones) that
show that selective REM deprivation is indeed quite nasty over the
long term.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y
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