What if dreams were recorded?
Every dream you have is saved as a video. And the person you live with can press play.
Morning. The recording is ready, and most people delete it.
Day 1
A sleep clinic offers a recording of your night by breakfast. Most people delete it without watching. A few watch it once and wish they hadn’t.
The real trouble starts when someone else asks to see it.
Year 1
Couples argue about dreams the way they used to argue about text messages. Companies ban the recordings at work, because a dream about a colleague can turn into a complaint.
Some people start sleeping alone on nights they don’t trust their own head.
Year 10
Kids know that dreams can be replayed. Plenty of families keep the machine switched off, but some leave it on, because a parent wants to know why their child woke up crying.
What no machine records is how a dream felt, after the pictures fade.
Who wins
- People who press deleteTheir nights stay private.
- Sleep doctorsA patient can show them a nightmare, and they can treat it.
- People with boring dreamsFor once, boring is a relief.
Who loses
- Couples who press playA dream is a terrible witness and a very convincing one.
- WorkplacesA dream about the boss is awkward for everyone involved.
- PrivacyYour night is only private while the machine is off.
Scientists can sometimes guess the rough content of a dream from a brain scan. A full recording is much further away, and if it ever came, most people would keep it to themselves.
Would you watch your own dreams?
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