Different dreams depending on your locale? Huh?
There’s a theory that people dream as a way to rehearse reacting to surprises/threats/problems in waking life. Which means that a Western city dweller might dream of being mugged, or a kid running out in front of a car, or showing up at a meeting unprepared. By contrast, the Amazonian Mehinaku tribe dream of being bitten by snakes, wasps, etc. Children who havent yet been exposed to society enough for all this, start with “default” dreams of being chased by monsters – an evolutionary carryover. Nightmares after watching a horror movie are explained as being caused by your brain being fooled by the movie into thinking it was a plausible threat, and then wanting to rehearse for that new type of threat.
For details, see Psychology Today
Interesting theory. One problem I frequently face in my dreams is the inability to implement problem solving. For example, if I need to get in a car to get away from a threat, somehow entering the car becomes difficult. The door is locked, the car drives away, my hand is to week to open the door, etc.