Science Archives - Page 2 of 3

Some Social Psychology

May 17, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

By Luke Langlois, AP Psychology Student & Blogger

At this point in my life, I have already taken the AP Psychology exam. But, that does not mean my knowledge of psychology can just hide off in a crevice forever. Not yet, anyways. Today, I would like to introduce to you some concepts from the last chapter of the AP Psychology textbook: social psychology. Social psychology is the branch of psychology that focuses on interactions between people. First, I will go into the fundamental attribution error. The fundamental attribution error is a simple concept, but it describes an “error” that we make just about every day.

The fundamental attribution error is the social psychology phenomenon that says we tend to explain someone’s behaviors or actions with their internal dispositions, rather than with their external circumstances. This concept is usually applied to a situation in which one person does something another person does not like. The peeved person will usually think something like “Wow, that person probably hates me, tortures puppies, and is generally a terrible person.” The error is believing that the actual “bad” behavior was due to something in the offender’s personality. Why not an example? You get cut off while driving by someone who is going about 80 miles per hour on the city streets. You shout out loud, as many drivers seem to do, “What a ******!” But, that driver has a pregnant lady in the car who is having a BABY! It’s the external factors that usually drive a behavior, not the internal ones. Now, that’s not to say some people aren’t just rude. But, I do not have scientifically backed knowledge on that fact. So, stop making the fundamental attribution error. Catch yourself making this error. Maybe you’ll like people more.

Speaking of liking people, why not have a brief segment on what goes into attraction? That’s another thing that goes into social psychology. The following is a list of the big elements that play into attraction. Be warned: this isn’t an exact science.

Proximity – Geographic proximity is an important one. Obviously, you can’t fall for someone across the country. That’s obvious. In addition, if you’re around and are interacting with a person over and over, you’ll find yourself liking them. That’s us people falling victim for the “mere exposure effect,” which states that the more we are exposed to something, the more we like it. Again, don’t go for the “ACTUALLY I HATE THIS PERSON AND I’VE KNOWN THEM FOR YEARS.” It’s not an exact science.
Physical Attractiveness – Unfortunately, physical appearance does rank up there as one of the most important features of social attraction. There are a lot of reasons as to why that is, but I’m not going to go into that.
Similarity – Fun fact: opposites do not attract. That is a phrase meant for hopeless romantics. Birds of a feather flock together. The more like-minded you are to someone, the more you’re going to like them.

So, that’s a couple of concepts of social psychology. If you want to know a bit more about social psychology, google it yourself, or DROP A COMMENT!

Editor: Makena Behnke

Holden Rants About a Topic Does Anyone Still Read This Title Part 5

April 18, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

What is Gaming Disorder?

By Holden Hartle, who has played video games

In our pursuit this week of everything gaming, Holden uncovers a surprising disorder.

I’ll be completely honest, I didn’t think this was real when I first heard about it. But, it’s a real mental disorder that the World Health Organization (WHO) added to the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) and that the American Psychology Association (APA) added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-V) .

What does Gaming Disorder look like? Some of the symptoms according to psychiatry.org include, “preoccupation with gaming, withdrawal symptoms when gaming is taken away (sadness, anxiety, irritability), inability to reduce playing, unsuccessful attempts to quit gaming, and the use of gaming to relieve negative moods, such as guilt or hopelessness.” These are the same symptoms that someone might go through if they were addicted to a drug of some sort, i.e. the inability to stop and the feelings of sadness and anxiety when it is taken away from you.

Now, if you’re an incessant gamer like me, these symptoms scare you. But fear not, only a very small portion of the population actually has the disorder. The criteria is very specific and needs to last for a certain amount of time in order for someone to be diagnosed. A case study in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction states that, ”The diagnosis of IGD is not easy,” and, “[Gaming disorder’s] psychological, social, and health consequences require further study.” The study goes on to explain that little research has been done into the effectiveness of the various types of treatments of Gaming Disorder and which treatment is best.

Another case study, this time from Yale, explains that the dopamine boost in a cocaine addict’s system after a hit is the same dopamine boost from someone who has Gaming Disorder. Furthermore, when a video game addict plays video games, he has conditioned his hypothalamus to reward him every time he plays video games. This makes sense when you consider the fact that a video game addict goes through similar withdrawals to that of a drug addict. When he isn’t playing video games, his body feels empty without the constant string of dopamine flowing through his system

To remind you, a very very very small percentage of the population actually has Gaming Disorder. The screening process is very scrupulous in order for a psychologist to actually diagnose someone. If you feel like you may have this disorder, however, contact your local psychologist, and they may be able to help.

Video Game Editor: AJ Patencio

Holden Rants About a Topic That Isn’t Really Relevant But Still Kinda Interesting Part 4

March 13, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Here at thebirdonfire.org, we’re trying something new. Rather than chasing down any “sophisticated schoolyard shenanigan” (our site’s tagline), we’ve embued our Student Editor of the Week with the power to NAME A THEME. Junior Luke Langlois is up first as Student Editor. He claims as his theme Aquatic. So, our student bloggers submit to you subjects and posts that fall under this week’s theme: Aquatic. Holden answers with . . . Sharks.

Sharks Deserve More Love

By Holden Hartle

Since the release of Jaws in 1975, sharks have become one of the top fears among Americans. The thought of a Great White clamping down on a leg is a terrifying thought. In 2017, Chapman University conducted a survey that showed that about 25% of people are afraid of sharks. More people are afraid of sharks than of hurricanes, public speaking, and everyday crimes like a mugging. The fear of sharks is even more prevalent than the existential fear of dying.

But, consider this, in 2018, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History, there were a total of 130 shark attacks worldwide. Of those 130, 66 were unprovoked and 34 were provoked. The other 30 attacks were due to things like boat attacks or attacks that happened post-mortem. With all of this in mind, there are predictions that somewhere around 70 million people went to a beach in 2018. Some quick division will tell you that you have a 0.000185714% chance of being a victim of a shark attack. This number drops by almost 20% if you don’t provoke the shark.

Let’s look at things from the shark’s perspective. Out of the 375 different species of sharks, only about 10 have been known to eat humans. Because sharks have not lived around humans for most of their lineage, sharks have not evolved in a way that allows them to digest human flesh. Sharks eating humans is similar to a lactose intolerant person eating ice cream. It’s possible, but sharks choose to ignore humans for their own good. Sperm and Killer Whales are much more capable of eating a human than a shark is.

If you look at the behavior of sharks, most sharks approach a human out of sheer curiosity. This curiosity leads to a terrified human, which leads to a terrified shark, which leads to a shark attack. A shark most often will bite a human out of self-defense, not because it is hungry for a human thigh. And, occasionally, a shark mistakes a human for a sea turtle or a seal.

We shouldn’t be scared of sharks; we should be helping them. The shark population has dropped dramatically in the past few years, and this isn’t just bad for the sharks; this affects the whole ecosystem. With the sharks gone, the whole aquatic ecosystem is thrown off. There are no sharks to eat the mesopredators, which are next in the food chain. And, because there is an increase in mesopredators (for example, stingrays), the amount of smaller fish decrease. If we were to stop fearing sharks and stop fishing them for their meats and their fins, the ecosystem would be balanced.

Editor: Luke Langlois

Sleep

February 27, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

By Luke Langlois, Blogger and AP Psychology Student

It is truly a miracle that most humans enjoy sleeping. After all, we do spend one-third of our lives sleeping. And, we all have a general idea of what we get from sleeping. Sleeping gives humans the energy to carry out our day. Sleeping somehow cures humans of short-term illnesses or some sort of stress. To our conscious minds, sleeping is like a small time machine. But, contrary to what we might perceive, a LOT goes on while we’re sleeping. Coincidentally, there is a whole unit in AP Psychology about sleep and consciousness, so, why not share this knowledge? Today, I present to you a bit about what goes on in your head during your deep sleeps.

The Stages of Sleep

Scientists have defined five different stages that humans progress through during sleep.

Stage 1 – A light sleep: Stage 1 of the sleep cycle is, as might be expected, the stage where one is in the “lightest” sleep. You’re not awake, but you’re not completely asleep. It is best described as the stage of drifting off to sleep. Sudden noises or disruptions will easily bring you back to a completely conscious state. Individuals will sometimes feel as if they are physically falling during this stage. Additionally, individuals sometimes have what is called a “hypnic jerk” during this stage, where they may experience abrupt muscle spasms and jump back awake. This stage lasts about 5-10 minutes.

Stage 2 – Preparing for a deeper sleep: This is a fairly short stage that is part of the transition into a deeper sleep. During this transition, the individual’s brain waves continue to slow down, with some specific bursts of activity which are known as “sleep spindles.” During this stage, the body’s temperature slightly decreases, and the heart rate gradually lowers. This is a generally uneventful stage and serves mainly as the “sleeping housekeeping” for the body. This stage lasts about twenty minutes.

Stage 3 – Transitioning into a deeper sleep: This is where an individual begins to transition into a much deeper sleep. After this stage, it becomes very difficult to awaken an individual. Slow brain waves known as “delta” waves emerge in this stage. Brain activity here is quite low. This stage lasts about 5-10 minutes. Be aware that some sources will not recognize this period as its own separate stage, and will instead group it in with the next stage, calling it all “Stage 3.”

Stage 4 – Deep Sleep, but without REM: Stage 4 is sometimes referred to as “delta sleep” because of the continuation of the delta brain waves during this stage. It is quite difficult to awaken someone from this sleep, and it will take some additional effort. There is no dreaming during Stage 4, but some well-known sleep events occur here, like sleepwalking. This stage is the most “restorative” stage for the body, and lasts for about 30 minutes.

Stage 5 – REM!: REM sleep, also known as the “Rapid-Eye Movement” stage is the most active stage for the brain, even if it is the deepest stage of sleep. During this stage, the body experiences increased eye movement, an increased breathing rate, and increased brain activity. Dreaming is most prevalent in this stage and rarely occurs in other stages. While these systems become more active, the voluntary muscle systems are paralyzed. The brain releases a paralyzing chemical that, theoretically, prevents the body from acting out its dreams. The length of this stage varies, depending on how long an individual sleeps.

So, now that you’ve got a general look at the stages of sleep, there are some things that should be mentioned. First, one sleep cycle does not equal the total amount of time that one spends sleeping. One will go through multiple sleep cycles in the typical 8-hour sleep. Secondly, this is not a completely linear 1-5 sequence. When an individual first falls asleep, they only progress from Stage 1 to Stage 4. After Stage 4 is reached, the brain goes backwards. It goes into Stage 3, then 2, and then falls into the REM stage. One sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes. I will send off this post with something practical for the nappers in the audience. A 90-minute nap is going to provide you with the best “refresh,” as you have been able to go through one whole sleep cycle. But, this is not to say that shorter naps aren’t as effective. No matter what, sleep on!

Editor: Makena Behnke

Is time travel possible?

January 25, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By James Zheng, Blogger and Amateur Physicist

I know it’s kinda unusual to see a title like this, especially from an anime reviewer. As I was considering what anime is worthy of recommending, I came up with this interesting topic to share with you guys. Also, to interpret this topic in the best way there will be some physics stuff and technical terms, but I will not make this subject sound really complicated or ridiculous. What I will do is express everything in a simple way.

As the most intelligent beings on the Earth, humans have infinite ambition in the realm of science. An example of this is the invention of new gadgets. And one of the most controversial, or even most impractical ideas, is time travel. Describing time travel is just as difficult as unravelling a thousand threads twisted together since we don’t really have a solid concept of it, fundamentally. It’s a process of travelling to the past or future, which sounds absurd, right? So, this wonderful scientific idea contradicts with the Theory of Relativity (a basic theory about space and gravitation which also introduces all the special phenomenon in physics) and even disobeys the principle of nature (the most basic principle that applies to the whole universe about how things change).

Here is one of the biggest concerns, the temporal paradox, also known as Fermi’s Paradox. It could entirely negate time travel while also telling how time travel could lead to a false interaction between cause and effect. Simply put, there are many examples to explain what a temporal paradox is. Let me give a common example: let me assume that person A went back to his past, then person A killed his father (person B) before B got married, and the existence of person A turns out to be an unknown being since if person A killed his unmarried father (person B), person A would not have been born. The logic of this example is really clear; the cause is that person A killed B and therefore cannot be borne of B. In this application of temporal paradox, when we travel to the past, we can’t interfere with the reality in the past, similar to the principle of nature that humans cannot change something which already happened in the past; otherwise, it would create complete chaos.

However, as I mentioned earlier, mankind has limitless ambition. And, we would all agree that temporal paradox sounds absolutely reasonable and unattainable; actually the realm of science ignores one possibility, an assumption called parallel universe. At this time, let’s go back to that same example to explicate parallel universe. What would happen if A kills his unmarried father B this time? There will be two universes, or paths split from A’s life. One path is the history that B died, but another one is the original history that A can never change, and which means the truth that B died still remains but actually A will go to the path that B died and stay in that path. Moreover, parallel universe is not the only factor that could possibly debunk temporal paradox; there are plenty of other circumstances that could affect it.

Now let’s see how could we disobey the Theory of Relativity and principle of nature in a “correct” way. At first, you might see a few articles which claim if humans discover a speed faster than light, time travel will be plausible. But, all the evidence and reasons that they have given so far are just abstract. I am not criticizing them. Scientists often use sophisticated words and concepts that people cannot understand, which they normally would see as something impressive, so the majority of people just don’t get it. And, in my opinion, to produce a special phenomenon called a wormhole (like a tunnel that links two alternative timelines) and look for a high gravitational field will possibly accomplish time travel. Secondly, before I tell you how a wormhole works, I am going to explain it. A wormhole is a passage that connects two universes, which also refers to two time points so that it allows a person to travel through time, certainly a one-way trip (by the way, I write some extra crazy information about wormholes at the end of this article;, check it out if you want to). At some point, wormholes will definitely be a breakthrough if scientists find proof to validate them… wait… haven’t they proven it already? Although it’s only a hypothesis, it’s indeed a scientific theory that some well-known physicists such as Ludwig Flamm and Nathan Rosen were trying to prove.

How about high gravitational field then? First, there is one thing you need to know. On any planet, when gravity is elevated extremely high or low, the time is either slowing down or speeding up. Same as on earth, our standard comprehension about time is determined by gravity. As a result, time is vulnerable, by which I mean it has many flaws, perhaps when you go to a planet that is far away from the Earth, there will be a gigantic discrepancy of time between that planet and Earth. The discrepancy will depend on how different the gravity is as well so that decides how fast time moves.

Finally, I hope you liked this article written by an amateur who is truly interested in physics. All of the above views are absolutely my personal and subjective researched views. I do not mean to make this topic contentious, but please leave your comments or questions, or correct some places that you think I am wrong. I will happily respond.

Note: Here is the crazy information of wormholes. Theoretically, wormholes are space tunnels connecting two distant timelines, just like the whirlpools in the ocean, which are everywhere but short-lasting. These temporal and spatial vortices are caused by the rotation of the stars and the attraction of gravity. Just as a whirlpool can make the water surface closer to the bottom, it can make two local spaces which are far away from each other very close instantaneously. But some people assume that a certain dark matter can keep the wormhole open because some of them contain positive energy and negative mass at the same time; it can create a repelling effect to prevent wormhole closure.

Sources referenced:

https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%99%AB%E6%B4%9E/118082?fr=aladdin

https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%97%B6%E9%97%B4%E6%BC%8F%E6%B4%9E/6693486?fr=aladdin

Editor: AJ Patencio

cot vs. caught

May 31, 2018 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By House Linguist Brennan Nick

In case you did not know, the people of Shakespeare’s time spoke much differently than we do today. If someone in Shakespeare’s time came today and spoke to you, you may only be able to understand about 75% of what they are saying. However, the year 1600 was “only” about ten generations ago. Now, I personally do not feel like I speak much differently from my parents, let alone Shakespeare. Besides, there have been massive enunciation shifts from Shakespeare’s time to now. So I wondered, what massive sound changes are going on right now?

Well, one thing that I learned very recently is the fact that some people pronounce the words “cot” and “caught” differently, while an increasing number of people pronounce them the same. This is called the cot-caught merger. This blew my mind when I learned this because I never realized that we were experiencing sound shifts right now. The difference is between the “aw,” “au,” “al,” and “ought” sounds and the short “o” sounds. The difference can be seen in words like . . .

–“cot” and “caught,”

–”collar” and “caller,”

–”stock” and “stalk,”

–”chock” and “chalk,”

–and ”don” and “dawn.”

It used to be that everyone made a distinction between the two different vowel sounds. However, people are increasingly pronouncing those vowel sounds the same. This shift is occurring the most in the Greater Pittsburgh Area and West Virginia, the New England Area, and the entire western half of the USA, with some exceptions such as San Francisco (See map).

With this knowledge, I then decided to collect some data on who pronounced the vowel sounds the same way and who pronounced them differently. So, I went around to many people here in Southern California and had them say these words:

“Rock cot talk rob stalk water

Call stock caught doll also”*

*Unbolded = “cot” sound for all words

Bold = Both “cot” and “caught” sounds used

Here is what I found:

People who did make a distinction: 10

People who did not make a distinction: 27

Even though I got the data, I still wanted to find some characteristic that determined who made a distinction and who did not. Age did not have to do with it, as there were both teachers and students who made the distinction and did not. What I found to be the greatest determiner was whether or not they were from California or if they were from elsewhere.

People who made a distinction and are not from California–8.

People who made a distinction and are from California–2.

People who did not make a distinction and are not from California–7.

People who did not make a distinction and are from California–20.

This can be explained by the fact that, in California, the two vowel sounds are merged by most people; whereas the two vowels are largely unmerged in many other areas of the country.

All in all, this was a fun experiment.

Below is a video where you can “hear” the difference for yourself.

Editor: Leo Milmet

First Words–Revisited

May 7, 2018 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Claire Jenkins

According to Psychology Today, “If the eyes are the window to the soul, then words are the gateway to the mind.” The words people choose to define things often reveal a lot about the person. When we think, we only think in verbs and nouns (Psychology Today). Other words such as adjectives and adverbs are added in when we form our thoughts into spoken words. The words others use when speaking or writing provide a way to observe the characteristics and the emotions of these individuals.

A while back I listed off words to a select pool of Palm Valley students and recorded their first-word reactions. Then, I came back and listed the same words to the same people, but this time they had a chance to think about their responses, and the word they felt fit the best was recorded. Here are their reflected-upon responses:

Female

transformative, complex, lips, human, children, woman, rights, Iron Man (think about it: the sign for iron is Fe)

Male

surprising, tiring, leaves, human, female, man, blue, mailman

Smart

overrated, determination, you, understanding, well-informed, brain, books, wise

Dumb

disregarded, growth, me, speaking, stupid, brick, mud, silent

Future

complicated, far, blue, bleak, work, time-machine, gifts, Star Wars

Past

dependent, ignorance, unsuccessful, civilization, history, dinosaur, emptiness, history

Present

confusing, wasted, Claire, existence, now, Santa, thoughts, 2018

Alone

peace, rest, white, sensitive, pondering, corner, pillow, wilderness

Community

bond, love, people, people, family, homes, garden, civilization

What would psychologists say about these eight people? What do you say?

Editor: Brennan Nick

10 interesting phobias

December 20, 2017 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

With an interest in crime and the criminal mind, Claire (otherwise known as Officer Jenkins) uncovered scientifically documented and titled fears.

Below are some interesting phobias you may not know. ENJOY!–Blogger Claire Jenkins

Cherophobia: the fear of fun
Panphobia: the fear of EVERYTHING
Nomophobia: the fear of being without mobile phone coverage
Trypophobia: the fear of holes
Cacophobia: the fear of ugliness
Decidophobia: the fear of making decisions
Eisoptrophobia: the fear of mirrors and/or seeing oneself in a mirror
Heliophobia: the fear of the sun
Gynophobia: the fear of women
Isolophobia: the fear of solitude or of being alone

*Feel afflicted by #6? Want more information? Try Phobialist.com or allaboutcounseling.com.

Editor: Peter Kadel

The Same But Not the Same

June 3, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

–by Blog Philosopher Jordan King

The ancient thought experiment Ship of Theseus made famous by Plutarch asks a much-debated question. It asks whether a ship that has all its components replaced, one by one, is still the same ship. How can a ship with all new parts still be the same ship? This introduces a puzzling dilemma about living forever. We may see in the distant (or not-so-distant) future the technology of uploading consciousnesses of dying people into a robot or even another human body. We may also see pills which allow people to live indefinitely, but for indefinite living to be possible the people taking ever-life pills would have to replace eventually all of their body parts as the old ones wear out. How can a person with an entirely new body still be the same person?

The conundrum, if an object has all of its components replaced, is it fundamentally the same object?

Let’s start off with the ship; it’s easier for now. To be able to answer the question of whether the Ship of Theseus is wholly original or wholly different, you would need to know what makes a ship a ship. Is a ship the sum of its parts, or is a ship an overall structure? If you were to take the original pieces of the disassembled Ship of Theseus and build it into a second ship, would it be the same ship? Do the pieces define the originality?

Or, if you replace the original pieces with identical new pieces while retaining identical structure, is it a new ship? Or, the original ship? I would say the original ship replaced with new pieces would be the real one. I say this for two reasons. First off, the ship would have exactly the same structure. Replacing each piece one by one would stay more true to the initial structure of the ship than it would to rebuild the ship completely. Secondly, when you are replacing each piece with a new piece, at what point does the ship cease to be the same ship? The first piece being replaced wouldn’t make it a new ship, nor the second. The ship’s only identity is The Ship of Theseus, nothing else; the ship has no thoughts, no personality, and no persona. The ship’s sole purpose of existence is its use as a ship, to transport goods and/or people. If you rebuild the ship using the same parts after the original ship was replaced with new parts, the rebuilt ship wouldn’t be original. It’s identity is not the same because it doesn’t exist in the same location. If the ship had a soul, the ship with the new pieces would be original because it has the same existence, purpose, and structure. It has the Same identity.

People do change though. They grow older; their skin falls off; their hair falls out, and their cells replace themselves. Almost all cells die and replace themselves every 10 years, with the exception of the nervous system, female gametes, and lens cells, which take a lifetime to replace.

Here is a chart from bionumbers.org, of the amount of time cells take to replace themselves:

So, every 10 years you are a completely different person (when it comes to what you’re made of). But… It’s not just your body parts that are different; you actually change psychologically, too. Your personality will change dramatically over the next decade (Time.com). You’re not the same as your four-year-old self; you are more mature (hopefully), and you are smarter with more life experience.

When we are able to transfer human consciousnesses onto machines or take pills to live forever, we will be different people. But we already become different people every 10 or so years. Nothing has changed. When we are able to live forever, we’ll still change, just a lot more, as we will be alive hundreds or even thousands of years. Five-hundred-year-old you won’t be anything like you were in your teens.

Talking about dreams

May 25, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

–by Blog Dreamer Gaven Li
Does everyone dream? The answer is, Yes, even though some people claim that they don’t dream every night. According to the International Association for the Study of Dreams, laboratory studies show that all human beings have dreams during a type of sleep called Rapid Eye Movement (REM). People who say they don’t dream actually just have trouble remembering their dreams.
Personally, dreaming is one of my favorite things to do. I dream every night and remember many of my dreams. The most terrifying dream I’ve ever had was a long story: me and my friend were playing basketball in my elementary school when a huge monster showed up. We ran upstairs, but the monster was chasing us and getting closer and closer. Then, we saw two big trash cans in the corner, so I jumped into the left trash can, and my friend hid in the one on the right.

I was so scared. I started shaking and hoped that the monster would go to my friend (sorry, dude). However, the monster came straight at me and picked me up!!!

“Oh crap.” Then I got eaten.

When I woke up, my heart was beating fast, and I was soaked. That dream was so clear and so realistic that I remember so many details of it after years. It’s interesting because I sometimes forget the dreams I had last night but still remember dreams from years ago.
So, why do we dream? Unfortunately, the answer has not been found yet, but scientists did come up with a few interesting theories: one is that when human beings are dreaming, our brains are actually sorting the information we collect during the waking hours. During sleep, the brain is deciding whether to keep the information or not, which creates the dream. Was it important: the car we saw? the person we met? the commercial we watched? This theory makes sense; I find it questionable, however. In life, I never met a monster or hide from one in a trash can, and I never met Adolf Hitler in my life. Yet, there was one time I dreamed about Hitler–standing next to my bed and watching me sleep. Scary, isn’t it?
Another theory about why we dream is that dreams reflect our emotions. Our brains are not required to focus on anything during sleep, so all the emotions of the day occur in the dream cycle.
If something is weighing heavily on your mind during the day, chances are you might dream about it either specifically, or through obvious associated imagery. This theory sounds more reasonable to me because there were so many times I dreamed about failing my tests before taking them, and I kept dreaming about my grandpa after he passed away.
But, what does dreaming about Hitler mean? I found this “dream dictionary” on dreamscloud.com:

Someone who is controlling or tyrannical? I don’t know about that. While the “Dream Interpreter” makes dreams sound more intriguing and mysterious, it is also important to realize that everyone has different stories and the same thing might represent totally different meanings for different people in different dreams. Many times, dream dictionaries serve the purpose of amusement more than scientific research.
Anyways, we still have a long way to go on dream study. Don’t remember your dreams? Just put a pen and a piece of paper next to your bed, then write down your dreams as soon as you wake up! You’ll be amazed by how crazy your dreams are!!