Why the world looks flat and dull when youre depressed

Depression makes you see the world differently. Literally. According to a recent New Scientist article, "People with the condition find it easy to interpret large images or scenes, but struggle to 'spot the difference' in fine detail." Why is this so? "Depressed people have a shortage of a neurotransmitter called GABA; this has also been linked to a visual skill called spatial suppression, which helps us suppress details surrounding the object our eyes are focused on - enabling us to pick out a snake in fallen leaves, for instance."

The hope: that visual training may be effective in treating depression. Hey, another tool certainly can't hurt.