Instagram Photo Filters Can Be A Sign That You Suffer From Depression

That dark and gloomy Instagram feed of a friend of yours may be an indication of something more serious. Experts found that an Instagram feed that is devoid of bright, lively colors could mean that its owner is suffering from depression.

A research from Andrew Reece of Harvard University and Chris Danforth of the University of Vermont examined 43,950 Instagram pictures from 166 participants. The photos were analyzed based on measures of colors, brightness, faces, likability, and interesting level, The Washington Post reported.

According to the study's findings, which was released on Cornell University's arXiv, an increased hue and lowered saturation and brightness of Instagram photos can predict if the owner suffers from depression. Depressed people are less likely to use photo filters, but when they do their posts have bluer, grayer, and darker filters.

The research said that the most popular photo filter for depressed people is Inkwell, which turns pictures into black and white images with high contrast added to it. Meanwhile, the study's healthy participants (those not defined as depressed) tend to use the Valencia filter, which lightens photos' appearance.

In addition, depressed volunteers of the study are more likely to post regularly and use various kinds of Instagram filters. Reece and Danforth also found that depressed Instagram users are more likely to post pictures with faces, but each photo has fewer faces.

The researchers said the reduced number of faces in each photo indicates that the user is choosing to interact in smaller social settings with fewer people. Reduced social interactivity is one of the signs of depression.

Reece said in an email to Fortune that the findings of the research are just "a first step" and further studies are still needed before an algorithm can advance the diagnoses of mental health experts. He added that other researchers and medical professionals have positive feedback on their study.

The most common signs of depression are feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, worthlessness, lack of motivation to do hobbies and activities that were previously enjoyed, empty moods, weight and appetite changes, irritability, and problems concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions, Psych Central listed. Depression can also change people's tastes in music. For example, listening to pop songs bores you or you can't bear to listen to sad music because they just encourage your unhappy feelings.

Depression also manifests physically, also called as psychosomatic pain, the Deccan Chronicle reported. The disorder is caused by mental factors and makes people feel aches or sores even though there aren't physical explanations for it. The pain doesn't subside despite physical medications and rest.