A fresh, revelatory foray into the new science of dreams--how they work, what theyre for, and how we can reap the benefits of our own nocturnal life While on a research trip in Peru, science journalist Alice Robb became hooked on lucid dreaming--the uncanny phenomenon in which a sleeping person can realize that theyre dreaming and even control the dreamed experience. Finding these forays both puzzling and exhilarating, Robb dug deeper into the science of dreams at an extremely opportune moment: just as researchers began to understand why dreams exist. They arent just random events; they have clear purposes. They help us learn and even overcome psychic trauma. Robb draws on fresh and forgotten research, as well as her experience and that of other dream experts, to show why dreams are vital to our emotional and physical health. She explains how we can remember our dreams better--and why we should. She traces the intricate links between dreaming and creativity, and even offers advice on how we can relish the intense adventure of lucid dreaming for ourselves.Why We Dream is a clear-eyed, cutting-edge examination of the meaning and purpose of our nightly visions and a guide to changing our dream lives--and making our waking lives richer, healthier, and happier.About the AuthorALICE ROBB is a columnist for New Yorks Science of Us. Formerly a staff writer at the New Republic, she has also written for the New Statesman, Foreign Policy, Elle, Vice, the Atlantic, and the Washington Post, among others. She lives in Brooklyn.