# She Dreams in Color **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 10, 2001, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474 "2001-04-10T14:30:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/1 "2001-04-10T14:30:50Z")
I once read somewhere that very creative people usually dream in color. This shocked the hell out of me, as I’m not terribly creative, and I always dream in color - always have. I’ve spoke to people about it, and they say “You didn’t DREAM in colour, you just REMEMBER it in color”, but this is stupid as far as I can see. I mean, if I remember it in color, why don’t the other people who dream in black and white remember theirs in color? In which case, we would all dream in color! Besides, I remember dreaming in color because often the colors in my dream have some strange importance, like the mint green cupboards in the kitchen of one of my dreams, or the other room that was painted like a rainbow. Which leads me to my question - Do you dream in color or do you dream in black and white? And now I’ll ask it again, using the alternative spelling of colour, to help out the search feature 🙂 Do you dream in colour or do you dream in black and white? ---
**Author:** ![Zumba\_The\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/779978/32.png) [@Zumba\_The\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zumba_The_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/2 "2001-04-10T14:38:34Z")
I always dream in color. I am sure it is not just a memory of color. My dreams are color. I am definately not creative. Make of it what you will. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/3 "2001-04-10T14:42:57Z")
Definitely color. I had a dream recently where Constance Bennett was wearing the most enterprising ice-blue chiffon frock. ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/4 "2001-04-10T14:48:50Z")
IMHO the idea that a dream is some sort of movie and therefore either in B&W or colour is absurd. A dream is made up of thoughts and impressions which exist within our minds and are largely unaffected by outside stimuli. If your dream-thoughts include something for which colour is important then colour becomes part of your dream. I don’t believe that people often have dreams in black & white (unless they dream about old James Cagney movies), rather they may have dreams in which colour was not an issue. ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/5 "2001-04-10T14:53:09Z")
More importantly, who dreams in black and white? I live my life in colour, and I dream in colour. Why wouldn’t I? ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/6 "2001-04-10T15:35:34Z")
I am, I blush to admit it, dull as dishwater; but I dream in color. However, my hobby (model cars and figures) is a fairly creative one… I also have trouble telling left from right. Anybody care to speculate on a correlation here? ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/7 "2001-04-10T15:44:36Z")
I dream in color. I remember being amazed when I first heard that most people dream in black & white. As for creativity, I’m a writer. Not a professional one, though (yet). Don’t know if that counts for you. Can’t do much with drawing/sketching/painting, though. The best I can do is stick figurers. ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/8 "2001-04-10T15:46:11Z")
“figurers” = “figures” I _really_ got to watch out for those typos. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![that\_darn\_cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/59ef9b/32.png) [@that\_darn\_cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/that_darn_cat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/9 "2001-04-10T15:48:11Z")
As far as I can remember, until about 4 years ago, I always dreamt in B&W, then suddenly had a color dream while napping on my SO’s dorm room floor. I woke up excited, and rushed to tell everyone I knew. Since then I dream in both. I also seem to dream more and remember more FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/10 "2001-04-10T15:50:07Z")
I think that’s hogwash. I dream in color. OK, I am creative (photographer) but I really would be surprised to hear that most people dream in black and white. One friend once told me that you can’t read anything in your dreams. That whatever part of your brain handles the interpretation of language is “off” while you sleep. He claimed that I actually wasn’t reading anything, I only thought I was reading something. I’ve had many dreams after he told me this, and I can certainly say that I was reading actual letters and actual words in my sleep. Some of the words actually changed in front of my eyes, and sometimes the words were nonsense and I woke up trying to figure out if “friggdypit” meant anything to me. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/11 "2001-04-10T18:15:10Z")
I also dream in color. Sometimes I dream I’m playing cards and am able to distinguish one card from another. Does this count as being able to read in a dream? ---
**Author:** ![SoMoMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@SoMoMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoMoMom)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/12 "2001-04-10T21:44:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rocketeer \* > \*\*I also have trouble telling left from right. Anybody care to speculate on a correlation here? \*\* Well, since I also have trouble with that left/right thing, I assume it’s just because I’m so brilliant that I have better things to worry about. 😉 I also dream in color. You mean everyone doesn’t, really? ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/13 "2001-04-10T22:59:01Z")
I have heard both theories (or whatever they are): that we all dream in b and that we cannot read while dreaming. The b thing I heard from a cousin, who refuses to believe me when I say I dream in color. She says I just remember it that way. And hubby told me the thing about reading. He saw it in an episode of Batman, so it must be true :rolleyes: I have only tried to read in a couple of dreams (I had to convince myself I was dreaming). Once, I could read, once I couldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/14 "2001-04-10T23:28:11Z")
I certainly dream in color. And I definitely have read things in my dreams. I also have a soundtrack to some of my dreams but I can’t recall the music when I wake up. However I can’t recall tunes when awake very well either. I’m sometimes aware that I’m dreaming while I’m actually doing it too. My dreams are very vivid and I nearly always remember them, or parts at least. In contrast, I really don’t think I’m all that creative in life. I’ve always wished I could utilize that wild dream imagination- instead I feel pretty dull. Maybe it’s my life that’s in black and white? ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/15 "2001-04-11T00:26:22Z")
I rarely dream in visuals at all. Which is not to say that shapes and spaces aren’t there, but that it’s not _sight_. Like the scene you construct when reading a book. Sometimes a visual impression is part of the dream though, and in those cases, it’s definitely color. My dreams of Sarah (a fictional - as far as I know - girl) are like that, because her appearance is somehow important to those. I think I’m trying to be able to recognise her if I meet her in real life. 🙂 Tangent over, back to the point. Dreams can be in color. ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/16 "2001-04-11T00:55:33Z")
I too read in dreams, and dream in color. I’ve also dreamt in animation a few times… explain THAT one! i draw, and paint and write… but I don’t really think has one to do with the other. Dreams are just your brain talking to itself. ---
**Author:** ![Gazoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ce73a5/32.png) [@Gazoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazoo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/17 "2001-04-11T01:43:12Z")
I also dream in color, and I disagree with **ticker’s** assertion that the only colors you recall are meaningful. I can recall several dreams where everything was in full color. Not a single object or some aspect of the dream that was a major focus. Like **dwyr** , I’m often aware that I’m dreaming while it happens (if I start to fall, can’t run, etc. I know immediately that it’s a dream). Sometimes I have dreams within dreams, those are always odd. I realize that I’m dreaming, and in my dream I wake up, but it’s still a dream. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/18 "2001-04-11T02:42:24Z")
what The Nerd said. I swear The Nerd has been dreaming my dreams. I tend to remember color-presence in the dreams when it occurs. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/19 "2001-04-11T03:10:10Z")
I think it varies greatly on a generational basis. I think that television and film have a large factor in whether or not people dream in b&w. In the “old” days when people grew up with b&w entertainment media, I think for many people their subconscious was trained to fantasize in b&w. I would suspect that the vast majority of people born after 1965-1970 dream in color, while the older set dreams often in b&w. I use my own family as a case study. My mother (b. 1945) , father (b. 1950), and stepfather (b. 1945) all dream in b&w, as did my grandparents. Myself and my brother (born in the 70’s) dream in color. To further the theory that television is a powerful influence on the subconscious, I offer up as evidence the high frequency that which Buffy the Slayer makes appearances in my dreams 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lux\_Fiat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc79bd/32.png) [@Lux\_Fiat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lux_Fiat)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474/20 "2001-04-11T09:15:31Z")
I dream in color, have never met anyone who doesn’t (that I know of), and read in my dreams. I’ve actually seen that episode of Batman, and since have taken special care to note when I read in dreams. Which is all the damn time. Whether I’m creative or not, I shall leave for history to judge. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/she-dreams-in-color/61474.md?page=2)