Is 'Inception' possible? (Warner Bros)
Grab your totem - the dream within a dream could soon become a reality.
Scientists believe they have found a way to plant an idea in your head by manipulating your dreams, like in the film Inception.
Researchers at Yale University in the US have discovered that people are able to learn new skills in their dreams through lucid dreaming.
Lucid dreaming is a state of “waking dreams” where people are able to control what they dream about.
New Scientist reports the Yale researchers found that people can use dreaming as a learning tool and are currently experimenting on training people in new skills by telling them what to dream about.
Tests found that lucid dreamers performed better in gambling tasks that test the regions of the brain involved in social interactions and emotional decision making.
Yale team member Dr Peter Morgan said people can use the lucid dreaming technique to train their brains.
“We know that by engaging circuits in the brain we can change its architecture,” Dr Morgan said.
Similar research has already shown that practicing in your sleep can improve your real life skills.
In a Swiss study, lucid dreamers that practiced throwing a coin into a cup while they slept found they were better at the real thing after they awoke.
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