Every once in a while I get a really great idea in a dream. Or at least I think I do. I suspect you have had similar experiences.
Invariably when I wake up from such an experience, I say to myself “Wow, that was a really great idea!” And then my next thought is “If only I could remember what it was.”
Which leads to the obvious question: Do we actually have great ideas in our dreams, or do we merely experience the illusion of having great ideas?
Maybe the emotion associated with having a great idea is a specific thing in itself. It’s possible that this particular emotion is what is getting triggered, and what we are remembering when we awake.
Come to think of it, that’s a much more plausible explanation. Although a lot less fun.
Famously Kekulé had a dream of a snake biting its own tail to which he credits his discovery of the structure of the benzene ring. I think that counts as having a great idea in a dream!