Prevalence of auditory, olfactory, and gustatory experiences in home dreams

Although numerous studies have investigated the content of laboratory and h ome dream reports, surprisingly little is known about the prevalence of var ious sensory modes in dreams. 49 men and 115 women completed a battery of q uestionnaires and kept a home dream diary for two to three consecutive week s. Retrespective responses to the questionnaire indicate that approximately 33% of men and 40% of women recalled having experienced sensations of smel l or taste in their dreams. A total of 3372 dream reports were collected an d scored for unambiguous references to auditory, olfactory, and gustatory e xperiences. Auditory experiences were reported in approximately 53% of all dream reports. Olfactory and gustatory sensations occurred in approximately 1% of all dream reports. A significantly greater percentage of women than men reported one or more dreams containing references to olfactory sensatio ns. The results lend support to previous studies which have shown that a va riety of sensory experiences, although relatively rare, can occur in dreams .