Studies about sleep and employee behavior typically focus on various activities that occur within the body during sleep, and their impact on daytime cognition. New research adopts a different method. 1[■]
The researchers conducted three studies involving thousands of dreams recalled by employees. The first study asked participants upon awakening to rate the degree of awe (敬畏) and wonder brought by their dreams and to write down their biggest work problem. 2[■] Another one they answered was whether they envisioned anything good arising from the difficult work situation-a measure of resilience, which meant the ability to become strong and happy again after toughness. Those who found positive meaning in dreams reported higher levels of awe. 3[■]
In the second study, participants who recalled a dream likewise reported its positive or negative meaning, and then wrote descriptions of the dream and what they took to be its causes and meaning. After work they answered questions about their resilience and progress on the day’s tasks. 4[■] The third study tracked similar measures among employees who participated daily for two weeks, and it looked at how naturally curious each person was. It found similar results about awe and showed that it raised resilience and productivity far more in the naturally curious.
5[■] Awe can help people deal more effectively with challenges and progress toward goals. “Our research reveals how awe can be brought about at a time that has a critical impact on daily work outcomes,” the researchers write. “Employees could use dream journals and simple practices to ‘guide’ their nighttime visions, thus increasing their odds of having meaningful, awe-inspiring dreams.”