We've all been there — you're about to lean in and kiss your crush for the first time, and your alarm goes off. As you blearily rub your eyes, you discover that your dream scenario was, well, truly just a dream that you had while asleep (🥲). While the appearance of someone you like in your dreams is most likely a welcome intrusion, you might wonder what it means when you dream about your crush. To save you from an endless internet scroll sesh, we tapped Dr. Naomi Torres-Mackie, licensed clinical psychologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York and Head of Research at the Mental Health Coalition, and Dr. Lauren Kerwin, Harvard- and UCLA- trained psychologist to give us the deets on what it means to dream about your crush. And as it turns out, your nocturnal, in-brain outings with bae actually could have meanings behind them. Here’s what the experts had to say.
So, what exactly are dreams?
Dreams (aka the thoughts and mental imagery we experience visually as we sleep) are viewed differently across cultures and scientific fields. However, the prevailing theory in psychology — the study of the human mind and its functions — is that dreams are "your mind's way of processing information," according to Dr. Torres-Mackie.
"Dreams often express one’s current interests and concerns. So if you love soccer, you might dream about it often. If you have a favorite celebrity, it’s likely that he or she will show up in many of your dreams. If you’re nervous about an upcoming party, you’ll probably dream about that, too," Dr. Kerwin says.
Why do you dream about your crush?
"Generally speaking, if you dream about someone, it means that they have significance to you," says Dr. Torres-Mackie, "That significance could be positive, negative, or a mix of the two, but it means your mind holds them "in mind" even when you are asleep."
So if you're dreaming about your crush, it means that you've spent a significant amount of time thinking about them while awake.
What do your dreams about your crush mean?
While dreams can have many interpretations, Dr. Torres-Mackie says, "The context of the dream can clue you into more specifics about what it means to dream about the person."
"Was it romantic, violent, or something else in nature?" she says, "Often, the nature of that context can be tied to unresolved thoughts or feelings about that person."
So, when you dream about kissing or hugging someone in a dream, "You might be attracted to this person — or maybe you used to be attracted to them," suggests Dr. Kerwin. "You might be pining for someone in particular, even if it’s not specifically the character in your dream."
While it can be fun and ~interesting~ to analyze your dreams, Dr. Torres-Mackie says, "it's impossible to do with 100% accuracy."
"Dreams are a highly individualized experience and can convey a great deal of emotion," she says, "If you worry that you dreamed something and so you must feel that way in real life, rest at ease - your dream mind and waking mind are two different operating systems entirely."
Can my crush tell that I've dreamed about them?
What happens in your dreams stays in your dreams — well, unless you tell someone about it!
"There's no way to be aware of someone else's dreams without them telling you. But when we dream about people, we can sometimes feel awkward in their presence, especially if the dream is overtly violent or intimate in nature. Intense feelings about what happened in the dream can bleed into real life," Dr. Torres-Mackie says, "So the person you dreamed about might sense that you are behaving differently towards them, but not necessarily know why."
Abby is an editorial assistant at Seventeen, covering pop culture, beauty, life, and health. When she's not busy watching the latest true crime docuseries, you can find her strolling through Sephora, thrifting the perfect dress, or jogging with her pup.
