There is no verified evidence that thousands of people independently dreamed about the same man. The claim became famous through a website whose story of a New York psychiatrist and patients recognizing one face was later exposed as a hoax.
What did the website claim?
ThisMan.org said that in January 2006 a patient of a New York psychiatrist drew a man’s face. According to the site’s account, another patient recognized it, and four more patients recognized the man over the following months. The site then claimed that “at least 2000 people” in cities around the world had dreamed about him. It said the project aimed to help those people communicate and discover who the man was. ThisMan.org’s history page is the origin of those claims—not independent confirmation from a psychiatrist, a scientific study, or a representative survey.
The site’s slogan read: “EVERY NIGHT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE DREAM ABOUT THIS FACE”. That was promotional copy for the story, not a measured finding.
What was later established about “This Man”?
On January 15, 2015, VICE published a correction saying the photofit and supposed online database of dreams were the work of sociologist and marketer Andrea Natella, and that the psychiatrist-and-patient origin story was fake. VICE also acknowledged that its earlier interview with Natella had been part of the hoax and that the publication had been fooled. The correction, rather than the original interview, is the key account of the story’s provenance: VICE’s correction.
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In the interview, Natella said he had used facial-composite software and circulated an initial design among colleagues and artists before building the website. He described the design this way: “I used facial composite software and I took the first one I could find and designed his face: round shape, bushy eyebrows, thin lips, and a receding hairline.” The interview’s editor’s correction identifies the interview as part of the hoax, so it should not be treated as independent corroboration. The interview and correction notice.
Do the reported numbers prove a shared-dream phenomenon?
No. The figures often repeated online come from the project itself, not a verified count of people who dreamed about the face before encountering it online.
- “At least 2000 people”: ThisMan.org’s undated history page reported this number. It does not establish how the people were counted or whether they had seen the image before reporting a dream. Source: ThisMan.org history page.
- “20 times higher than last year average data”: A March 2011 document from the site used this phrase about a claimed January 2011 surge in website visits. Traffic to the site is not evidence that visitors had independently dreamed about the face. Source: ThisMan.org’s March 2011 document.
The sources available here do not establish an independently verified population statistic for people dreaming about This Man. VICE’s correction also said its reporting could not answer whether exposure to the image might influence later dreams.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why might the face feel familiar?
That feeling is not proof of a shared dream. A person who encounters an image and its story may later remember it, recognize it, or connect it with a dream; whether suggestion explains any particular report is an open question, not a mechanism established by the sources above. The documented explanation for the viral claim is simpler: a fabricated origin story and a website presented an image as a mysterious figure supposedly appearing in dreams.
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- Deep Into Your Mind & Self-awareness: Dreams can be an insight into our innermost thoughts and feeling, keep a dream journal can help you better understand your dreams, and, by extension, yourself, record and analyze your dreams, and find important signs and patterns by asking all the right questions, prompts and guidance.
- Reflect On Insights& Reduce Stress Through Journaling: Dream journaling offers many unexpected benefits, such as reflect on insights from your innermost thoughts and desires., dive deep into your dreams and help to employ your subconscious to solve all kinds of problems, and reducing overall stress.
- Premium Quality, Thoughtful Design: This journal for men and women features an elegant and durable linen hardcover with gold foil lettering, measuring 8.3x5.8 inches , with FSC certified 100gsm sustainably sourced thick paper. It includes 3 colored ribbon bookmarks, a pen loop, an elastic closure for easy storage, and a pocket for loose papers or bills. Keep at your bedside for recording/writing notes on your dreams and personalize your dream journaling experience.
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