[vhfpmr (OP)]

On Radio 4 this morning someone was saying that in the days of B&W TV only 9% of the population dreamt in colour, but now in an era of colour TV the ratio is reversed. That reminded me of a news story a few years ago in which a blind man who had just been given an operation to restore his sight said that he was now dreaming in colour instead of B&W.

At the time, that set me wondering about whether I dream in colour or B&W, and after much thought I realised it's neither. My dreams are like memory, they occur in terms of salient points: if I think of a rectangle or a circle they're not in in colour or B&W, they just 'are', unless I think of a no enty sign, in which case I see a red circle and a white rectangle.

In the most recent dream I recall, I was talking to someone. I don't know who I was talking to, what they said, or what they looked like, but they were trying to show me something, and I don't know what they were trying to show me either, I just recall telling them that I couldn't see it because I was having an ocular migraine.

Then I woke up and found I was having an ocular migraine. That's all I rememeber/saw, because that's all that was salient.

[Bored chemist]

When this

was a "hit", there were comments about the old fashioned pseudoscientific idea that only schizophrenics dreamed in colour. (or the other way round- I forget)

[alancalverd]

There's an underlying and worrying implication here: that people are more deeply impressed by what they see on TV than in real life. That does at least explain why people spend a fortune on TV advertisements, and argues against fictional depictions of violence being "harmless".

It would be interesting to know the answer from pre-television days, or even from the early days of TV when broadcasting hours were limited.

But assuming the observations are correct we can infer (a) that what appears on broadcast TV is intentionally constructed to impress itself on the brain in preference to reality and (b) our dreams are largely composed of or directed by recent events - in the bad old days, most folk went to bed when the telly stopped.

(a) was supported by the radio presenter saying that her dreams were recently modulated by her interest in 1940s Hollywood movies (mostly B&W).

[Origin]

I dream in color.  Well at least have many memories of dreaming in color but I don't remember dreaming in black and white.

[paul cotter]

I definitely dream in colour sometimes but mostly it's not clear whether if it's colour or black/white.

[Zer0]

I once dreamed of meeting my X on a bridge.

The bridge was metallic greyish.

The water flowing beneath it was bluish green.

The X was dressed in a traditional bright yellow dress.

P.S. - i could say She even smelt the same way...Pleasant!
(Not Kidding)

[Petrochemicals]

If I play too much computer games I dream in colour of playing  the computer game in the colour of the computer game.

[Zer0]

If I play too much computer games I dream in colour of playing  the computer game in the colour of the computer game.

And then in the Dream state of playing the Computer Game, do You lose in the same way like while playing the Game wide Awake?

P.S. - 🤭

[Petrochemicals]

If I play too much computer games I dream in colour of playing  the computer game in the colour of the computer game.

And then in the Dream state of playing the Computer Game,

That is probably very close to the truth. Obviously it was decades ago, but the link between the part of the brain functioning whilst playing computer games and asleep must be very close.

[William Hardy]

I dream in Color.

[William Hardy]

I can remember some colors, like color of shirt I was wearing, the surroundings, the green grass, blue buildings, etc.

[Zer0]

I can Never seem to break Rules & Laws in Dreams...

I've never Killed someone, I've never been able to Float in mid air or Fly towards the Moon.

P.S. - for some odd reason, i do dream Alot!
Others do not share dreams as often as i do.
Anyone know Why?

[Darlalarsen]

I have to say, I never once thought of this one, in fact it looks like colours to me, but I'm not sure, something new and exciting to me!
I can't wait to fall asleep to find out.

[Kryptid]

Most of my dreams are in color, but I do recall one that was gray scale.

[vhfpmr (OP)]

Makes me miss Champix - they gave you such vivid dreams

I was on metronidazole for a week or two once, that gave me surreal dreams that were quite good fun.

In one, I was at the top of a large stone tower like a lighthouse, and it had a spiral ramp inside like a helter skelter. I raced down the ramp like I was on roller skates, but I had no skates, my feet were gliding an inch or two above the ramp like a maglev. When I got to the bottom I shot out of the door, and then raced down a big hill.

In another, I was flying like a bird.

[pachangam]

It's very helpful

[Karen W.]

i dream in full color quite often these days!

[Karen W.]

I can Never seem to break Rules & Laws in Dreams...

I've never Killed someone, I've never been able to Float in mid air or Fly towards the Moon.

P.S. - for some odd reason, i do dream Alot!
Others do not share dreams as often as i do.
Anyone know Why?

You'll find many people do not remember their dreams.. For a long time I was not sleeping had bad insomnia and so was not reaching REM when I did fall asleep. My 5 sleep studies confirmed I was not reaching REM. Now that I am sleeping again I do reach REM and dream in full color. I used to have dreams of being injured and if I saw red blood in my dream Id have to wake myself quickly and move to bathroom, because every time I dreamed of seeing red blood, I inevitably would start my period, or menstrual cycle! I would have already started bleeding...