Kicking off mental health week with the gift of colour

People feeling gloomy literally see the world as a darker, foggier place than those who find themselves on an even keel -?Seeing Gray When Feeling Blue? Depression Can Be Measured in the Eye of the Diseased.?

New research has spotted neurotransmitters linked to major depressive disorders in the retina. They’ve also tracked delayed signalling patterns in the colour vision part of the eye (the fovea) and and hyperactivity in peripheral vision, where we only see shades of grey -?Complete evaluation of retinal function in Major Depressive Disorder: From central slowdown to hyperactive periphery.

Scientists can even harness these patterns of electrical activity coming from your eyes to diagnose mental health conditions and track response to treatment too -?Retinal electroretinogram features can detect depression state and treatment response in adults: A machine learning approach.?

At the other end of the scale, those experiencing bipolar disorder tend to display heightened colour sensitivity, for some leading to colour confusion and even hallucination -?Colour discrimination thresholds in type 1 Bipolar Disorder: a pilot study.

Your choice of what colour you wear can affect your mood in powerful ways as this paper explains -? Wearing black when feeling blue An exploration of the relationship between clothing and mood.?

Changing the colours of the lights may also shift your state of mind -?Effects of colored lights on an individual's affective impressions in the observation process.?

But you don’t need to spend a lot of money to enjoy a brighter and more balanced outlook this week.?Treat someone you love - to a simple flower today? -?A neural link between generosity and happiness,?and treat yourself to one too!