The world turns grey when we feel blue

THE world literally fades to grey when we feel blue, scientists discovered.
Depression has an effect on the eyes that makes it harder to detect the black and white contrasts.
Scientists in Germany carried out tests on the retinas of patients which showed the effect – similar to turning down the contrast control on a TV.
It could be one reason why throughout the ages and regardless of culture or language, artists have consistently depicted depression using symbols of darkness or grey uniformity.
The effect was so marked that scientists believe the test could provide an objective way of measuring depression levels.
The study, conducted by Dr Ludger Tebartz van Elst and researchers at the University of Freiburg, is reported in the journal Biological Psychiatry.
The condition is estimated to affect one in five people during their lifetime.
John Krystal, the editor, said: “These data highlight the profound ways that depression alters one’s experience of the world.
“The poet William Cowper said that variety’s the very spice of life, yet when people are depressed, they are less able to perceive contrasts in the visual world. This loss would seem to make the world a less pleasurable place.”