Hypnopaedia – future alternative or not?

Do you want to learn a new language, but haven’t got the time to practice vocabulary? Then hypnopaedia will help you. On the Internet you can find such promises. They offer people the opportunity to go to these courses, to learn how hypnopaedia works and find more information or materials. Nevertheless, I have to wonder if hypnopaedia is possible or not.

Hypnopaedia is defined as learning while sleeping. A person listens to a recording of something he or she wants to learn while this person is asleep. In the fictional novel “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley, hypnopaedia is possible. The citizens of the new world learn moral education while they sleep. However, as I said, the book is fictional.

Many people hope that such a possibility could be real. It would make many things much easier, but no one knows if it might be possible in future. Many people think it is utopian, but others disagree.  

Even scientists don’t agree on one opinion. Some say it is possible, others say it is not. They simply aren’t sure about this. Many people say that hypnopaedia helped them to learn, for example, vocabulary. However, during the state of deep sleep learning is not possible. Some scientists think that learning is possible if you are not fully asleep, as if you are mesmerised. In fact, your subconscious works while your body is atonic. Other scientists think it will never be possible, neither while in the state of deep sleep, nor while you are partly asleep.

Many studies disproved hypnopaedia. Scientists tested subjects while they were asleep and listened to different recordings, and subjects who learned the same things while they were awake. The subjects who were asleep couldn’t remember the contents of the recordings and learned nothing. The subjects who were awake could remember the things they learned, more or less. The studies showed that hypnopaedia isn’t possible. Further studies checked hypnopaedia again, but no one could confirm that idea.

Apart from that, hypnopaedia isn’t healthy. As said before, learning while sleeping is maybe possible if you aren’t fully asleep, but your body needs to reach the state of deep sleep to rejuvenate. In a way hypnopaedia is like sleep disturbance. You never fully relax, so in the morning you are tired and irritated.

In “Brave New World” hypnopaedia is possible, but even in the book it is limited: Hypnopaedia was first discovered in a polish-speaking boy called Reuben Rabinovitch. One day the young boy went to bed and his parents forgot to turn off the radio. When he woke up in the morning he repeated the whole radio program. “They thought that hypnopaedia could be made an instrument of intellectual education […]” (quotation from “Brave New World”) and tried to develop that idea. However, they had to face a problem: 

“A small boy asleep on his right side, […]. Through a round grating in the side of a box a voice speaks softly.

"The Nile is the longest river in Africa and the second in length of all the rivers of the globe. Although falling short of the length of the Mississippi-Missouri, the Nile is at the head of all rivers as regards the length of its basin, which extends through 35 degrees of latitude …"

At breakfast the next morning, "Tommy," someone says, "do you know which is the longest river in Africa?" A shaking of the head. "But don't you remember something that begins: The Nile is the …"

"The - Nile - is - the - longest - river - in - Africa - and - the - second - in - length - of - all - the - rivers - of - the - globe …" The words come rushing out. "Although - falling - short - of …"

"Well now, which is the longest river in Africa?"

The eyes are blank. "I don't know."”

(“Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley (Chapter 2))

The boy could repeat it, but he didn’t know what he was saying. The problem was, according to the book, that the topic was scientific. You can’t learn something scientific unless you know what it is about. However, moral education is possible in the book. They believe moral education is not rational, and that’s why it works in hypnopaedia. The people from the new world learn to tolerate soma and to dislike the other castes. For example, the Beta-caste babies listen to this recording:

“Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they’re so frightfully clever. I’m really awfully glad I’m a Beta, because I don’t work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and the Deltas. Gammas are stupid. They all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I don’t want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They’re too stupid to be able….”

(“Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley (Chapter 2))

Through such recordings, they learn how to behave in the new society. In the quotation the Beta children learn to dislike all other castes. There are many more ‘mottos’ like, “Everyone belongs to everyone else,” and, “A gramme is better than a damn.” They learn these phrases while they are asleep and even understand them. Their morality is prescribed, but for them it’s normal.  

According to the book hypnopaedia is possible, but scientists in our world disproved it. So what is true? Hypnopaedia was supposedly discovered in 1923. Marines learned Morse code while they were asleep. Aldous Huxley wrote his novel “Brave New World” in 1932, and thus he knew about the new method of learning. However, his method was neither disproved nor confirmed. Aldous Huxley came up with this idea. He also changed the story of the discovery: As I said hypnopaedia was discovered by marines, but in Huxley’s book a Polish family discovered it. 

Huxley says in his book that hypnopaedia is possible, but scientists have disproved it. The truth is: The book is fictional and hypnopaedia, too. Scientists are sure about this.

However the question from the beginning of this essay is still not answered: Is hypnopaedia an alternative for the future, as in the book, or not? The answer is simple: No. It won’t work. It doesn’t work nowadays and it won’t work in the future. Scientists proved it and I don’t think Aldous Huxley would disagree with that if he could.

In my opinion hypnopaedia would be really useful, but I agree with the scientists. I can’t imagine that hypnopaedia could ever be possible. Don’t get me wrong, it would be great. School wouldn’t be necessary anymore, everyone would have the same education and maybe the crime rate would also decrease.

Even so, I can’t completely favour hypnopaedia. No one would have to work hard for a good degree. In relation to education and maybe also to other things, no one would be an individual anymore. Some differences aren’t that bad. Also the book “Brave New World” shows it. I don’t like the idea of losing my individuality.

All in all I think hypnopaedia won’t be possible in future, and I also think it is better this way. Learning without working for it isn’t that great if you have to lose your individuality.

Ulrike Schlegel

Sources