Election Dreams Intensified Negative Feelings Overnight

A new study looked at how dreams affect feelings after a big event like an election. Researchers wanted to know if dreaming about something emotional helps people feel better about it the next day.

They used the 2024 US presidential election as their real-life example. Over 900 Americans took part in an online survey. They shared their feelings about the election, their future, and the country's future. They also wrote down what they dreamed about election night.

The team thought dreams would make people feel less upset by morning. But that's not what happened. People who dreamed about the election actually felt worse the next day. Their negative feelings got stronger, not weaker.

This was true mostly for Democrats and Independents. Republicans didn't show the same pattern. Their feelings stayed about the same whether they dreamed about the election or not.

These results challenge old ideas about dreams helping us process emotions. Instead, the study suggests that sleeping and dreaming might actually make strong feelings even stronger, at least for a short time.