To Begin

I often wonder about the moment that defines childhood. What are the things associated with that period of your life? Perhaps, it's extremely foolish to try to pinpoint one single moment since it differs for every single individual. I find myself reflecting back on some memories with a simpler perspective but maybe those are monumental ones in shaping my past.

Though we might not be able to comprehend the lack of innocence associated with growing up, we do have the ability to scrutinize with a different lens. As we grow older, our understanding of the world around us deepens under specific contexts. Our surroundings or experiences end up shaping our perspectives differently; awareness regarding the external and societal stimulus increases.

Indeed, emotional intelligence is developed further as maturity is increased. The question that intrigues me greatly is what that might imply in regards to dreams. Obviously it would be a very strong assumption to state that compassion is built at a specific age, since even some adults might struggle with it. However, it is evident that the age associated with the greater emotional capacity is between age 5-7; this is supported by the neuroscientific development of synaptic overproduction. During early childhood, the rapid synapse formation leads to connections being built from experience, which in turn explains why emotions and contextual reactions develop during this stage.

Now that we've established the period during which understanding of social interactions first begin to make sense, it's time to question the relation to dreams. While delving into my research, this brain development caught my eye because dreams actually fully start developing at the same time of around 5-7 years old. Most cognitive researchers understand that kids start to have dreams with a real plot line when they are about 5 to 7 years old, about the time they develop a sense of self.

Now, at this juncture, it might seem like I am simply grasping at straws, right?

I mean, of course you must have seen babies dream- it's not like they don't sleep. Babies sleep way more than older kids so it must be the case that they dream more, right? That's actually not the case.

Renowned child psychologist and dream research, David Foulkes, proposed the idea that babies use their REM sleep for other more necessary functions such as developing newer brain pathways and structures, rather than dream. A study conducted by Foulkes showed that his idea was actually justified; babies reacted and mimicked to external stimulus, alluding to the fact that the still developing brain of newborns are in the process of learning, in place of dreaming.

Does this new development not allude to the idea that dreams and emotional intelligence is actually very closely entwined? Emotional development led to the development of dreams.