Lucid Dreaming Frequency and Sensory-Processing Sensitivity

Abstract

Previous research identified personality and neurophysiological traits that are associated with inter-individual differences in lucid dreaming frequency. The present study investigated the question as to whether sensory processing sensitivity is related to lucid dreaming. Overall, 1,807 persons (1,008 woman, 799 men) with a mean age of 47.75 ± 14.41 years completed the German High Sensitive Person Scale, a Big Five personality inventory, and the lucid dream frequency scale. As expected, Aesthetic Sensitivity and Low Sensory Threshold (two of the three sensory processing factors) were positively related to lucid dream frequency. Moreover, extraversion and low agreeableness were also related to lucid dreaming frequency. Although the effect sizes of these relationships are relatively small, this research can shed light on the mechanism underlying the inter-individual differences in lucid dream frequency.