Can You See Faces In Dreams?
For centuries, humans have been fascinated by the prospect of dreams; it's a thing we all do, yet very few of us know much about them at all. If you're anything like us, you've probably taken to the internet to look up and understand what that bizarre dream you had could have possibly meant. According to CNET, the average person can have anywhere between one and six dreams per night, some of which you'll remember, and others that you won't. The outlet also notes that while we'll never truly understand the meaning behind every single dream, experts know that dreams typically represent any variety of thoughts, struggles, emotions, events, people, and places that are significant and memorable to a person.
Although every single person's dreams are totally unique and inconsistent, one fact about dreams remains true for everyone that has ever dreamed. Indeed, while our dreams can consist of miraculous events, impossible stunts, and totally improbable situations, there's one thing our dreams most certainly can't do: create faces.
You only dream of faces you've seen before
Think back to any of the dreams you can remember. Chances are, you may have seen minute details and an array of people, but you didn't see any brand new, unfamiliar faces. According to reports, our brain can't create faces — rather, it can only present us with faces that we already know. Even if you don't remember a person or don't know them well, your brain remembers them better than you do and can show them to you while you're dreaming (via NeuroTray). So even if you're dreaming of a person that you don't recognize, you've most likely seen them before in passing — perhaps without even realizing it.
According to the University of Washington, the brain's temporal lobe is responsible for our ability to recognize faces, and the neurons in this area respond to features of faces that help us remember them and distinguish them from other people.
If you're dreaming about someone you don't know or recognize, it could mean that you're feeling insecure about something or are jealous of someone for something that they have that you want (via DreamMoods). It looks like it's time to finally start that dream journal!