Do most people believe that dreams are meaningful?

In trying to put the Tucson tragedy in context, one of the issues that comes up is the information that Jared Loughner kept a dream journal. It is my impression that the general reaction to this was, “That just proves he was nuts.”
However, when you delve into the research about people’s beliefs in dreams, most laypeople believe that dreams are meaningful. (It is still my impression that the mainstream media generally present the view that dreams are essentially random and meaningless, such as the article from Slate Magazine, “Do Crazy People have Crazy Dreams?, referred to in Jungcurrents.)
The research article below also suggests that most people interpret their dreams in ways that confirms previously existing belief systems, which is a bit different that the Jungian viewpoint, which in general suggests that dreams are about the shadow parts of one’s self.
This is well done, thoughtful research.

When Dreaming Is Believing: The (Motivated) Interpretation of Dreams

Carey K. Morewedge
Carnegie Mellon University

Michael I. Norton
Harvard University
June 25, 2008

This research investigated lay people’s interpretation of their dreams. Participants from both Eastern and Western cultures believed that dreams contain hidden truths (Study 1) and considered dreams to provide more meaningful information about the world than similar waking thoughts (Studies 2 and 3). The meaningfulness attributed to specific dreams, however, was moderated by the extent to which the content of those dreams accorded with participants’ preexisting beliefs—from the theories they endorsed toattitudes toward acquaintances, relationships with friends, and faith in God (Studies 3–6). Finally, dream content influenced judgment: Participants reported greater affection for a friend after considering a dream in which a friend protected rather than betrayed them (Study 5) and were equally reluctant to fly afterdreaming or learning of a plane crash (Studies 2 and 3). Together, these results suggest that people engage in motivated interpretation of their dreams and that these interpretations impact their everyday lives.