Is your Instagram making you sad? How your photos could be telling on you

Thursday, June 6, 2024.

Ever wondered if your social media habits might be revealing a bit too much about your mental health?

It turns out that your Instagram photos might be doing just that.

According to research, a whopping 70% of the time, people can identify if someone is depressed just by looking at their photos.

Yup, those darker, moodier pics aren’t just artsy—they could be a sign of something deeper.

The Dark Side of Filters

Depressed folks have a knack for posting (literally) darker pictures. They’re also fans of the classic black-and-white filter. Dr. Christopher Danforth, who co-authored the study, shares the scoop:

“Our analysis of user accounts from a popular social media app revealed that photos posted by people diagnosed with depression tended to be darker in color, received more comments from the community, were more likely to contain faces, and less likely to have a filter applied.

When they did select a filter, they were more likely to use the filter that converted color images to black and white. People diagnosed with depression also posted at a higher frequency compared to non-depressed individuals.”

Better Than Your Doctor?

The study's accuracy is nothing short of impressive, especially when compared to general practitioners who only manage to get the diagnosis right 42% of the time. Dr. Danforth imagines a future where an app could alert you (and your doctor) to potential mental health issues before you even notice them:

“With an increasing share of our social interactions happening online, the potential for algorithmic identification of early-warning signs for a host of mental and physical illnesses is enormous.

Imagine an app you can install on your phone that pings your doctor for a check-up when your behavior changes for the worse, potentially before you even realize there is a problem.”

How The Study Was Conducted

The study took a deep dive into 43,950 photos from 166 Instagram users. About half of these users had a clinical diagnosis of depression. The photos were analyzed by a computer program to see if it could identify who was depressed. Dr. Andrew Reece, the study's co-author, elaborates:

“Although we had a relatively small sample size, we were able to reliably observe differences in features of social media posts between depressed and non-depressed individuals.

Importantly, we also demonstrate that the markers of depression can be observed in posts made prior to the person receiving a clinical diagnosis of depression.”

This study, published in the journal EPJ Data Science, highlights the potential of using social media data for early mental health intervention. So, next time you’re scrolling through Instagram, take a moment to consider what your photos might be saying about you.

Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed.

RESEARCH:

Reece, A. G., & Danforth, C. M. (2017). Instagram photos reveal predictive markers of depression. EPJ Data Science, 6(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-017-0110-z