Menschen mit Synästhesie erleben in ihren Träumen unterschiedliche thematische Muster. Die Ergebnisse belegen, dass unsere individuellen kognitiven Stile unsere Vorstellungskraft und unser geistiges Leben prägen, auch wenn wir schlafen.

>A recent [study](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2025.103959) published in Consciousness and Cognition suggests that people with a unique perceptual trait called synesthesia tend to experience different thematic patterns in their dreams compared to those without the trait. The findings provide evidence that our individual cognitive styles shape our imagination and mental life even while we are asleep.

>Synesthesia is a neurological condition where information meant to stimulate one of your senses triggers another sense at the same time. For example, a person with synesthesia might see specific colors when they hear music or taste certain flavors when they read words. People with this trait often score higher on measures of imagination, emotional reactivity, and openness to new experiences.

>Scientists conducted this study to understand if these waking mental habits influence the subconscious mind during sleep. The continuity hypothesis of dreaming proposes that our dreams act as a mirror for our everyday thoughts, emotional tendencies, and personality traits. From this perspective, dreams are not just random static generated by the sleeping brain but are meaningful expressions of an individual’s underlying mental structure.

>Prior research provides evidence that synesthesia involves an increase in structural connectivity between different regions of the brain. This heightened connectivity allows for greater blending of concepts and perceptions during waking hours. The researchers predicted that this unique mental organization might naturally spill over into the dreaming state.

>“My work looks at large collections of dreams to understand how different groups of people experience and make sense of the world. This study is one step in a broader effort to see what dreams can tell us about stable differences in how people think, feel, and interpret their environments,” explained study author Emily Cook, chief science officer at The Center for Organizational Dreaming.