Depressed people actually see the world around them in shades of gray, at least subconsciously. Their retinas respond less to black-and-white contrasts.
Previous studies have shown a reduced sensitivity to subjective contrast perception in depressed patients. Researchers studied 40 German patients with diagnosed major depression (20 receiving medical treatment 20 without medication) and 40 matched healthy subjects to find out the relation between the reduced contrast perception in depressed people. Retinal scans were used to monitor the response of the retina to varying black-and-white contrasts.
It was found that depressed people had dramatically lower retinal response in contrast to those without depression. Also, people with the most severe depression had the lowest levels of retinal response to contrast. This lower response was evident in depressed patients regardless of whether or not they were taking antidepressants.
This study highlights the ways in which depression alters one's perception of the world. Depressed people are less able to perceive contrasts in the visual world, making the world a less pleasurable place for them.
Previous studies have shown a reduced sensitivity to subjective contrast perception in depressed patients. Researchers studied 40 German patients with diagnosed major depression (20 receiving medical treatment 20 without medication) and 40 matched healthy subjects to find out the relation between the reduced contrast perception in depressed people. Retinal scans were used to monitor the response of the retina to varying black-and-white contrasts.
It was found that depressed people had dramatically lower retinal response in contrast to those without depression. Also, people with the most severe depression had the lowest levels of retinal response to contrast. This lower response was evident in depressed patients regardless of whether or not they were taking antidepressants.
This study highlights the ways in which depression alters one's perception of the world. Depressed people are less able to perceive contrasts in the visual world, making the world a less pleasurable place for them.