Emotional Content of Dreams Recalled by Elderly Women

At the end of 6 wk., 37 elderly women turned in 145 dream narratives and accompanying emotions. Approximately two emotions were used to describe each dream; enjoyment, surprise, distress, confusion, interest, and fear accounted for 86% of all dream emotions. The emotions of disgust, anger, shame, and contempt were infrequently reported by these elderly persons. The dreams associated with the retirement life style of the elderly exhibited pleasant as well as unpleasant emotions.