“4 Surprising Advantages of Being Depressed”

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PsyBlog reviews a recent study that found people who feel depressed are more effective and efficient than others at certain types of activities.

“The researchers developed a new questionnaire which measures ‘analytical rumination’, a mental process which is thought to be an ancient defence mechanism and the root of depression,” writes PsyBlog. “Analytical rumination is where people turn problems over in their heads to the exclusion of all else, trying to look for a solution.” Depressed people reportedly process information more deeply, for example, and make more accurate cost-benefit analyses.

4 Surprising Advantages of Being Depressed (PsyBlog, November 20, 2014)

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1 COMMENT

  1. “Depressed people reportedly process information more deeply, for example, and make more accurate cost-benefit analyses.”
    But according to psychiatry depressed people lack insight and have “wrong” perception of reality (it’s all unicorns and rainbows after all right?). This is exactly the problem I have with people saying that being depressed interferes with your judgement and interpretation of the world. Sure it does, but what if it makes it more rather than less accurate?
    Life’s short, full of pain and then you die and I can’t see anything “wrong” with that statement objectively. Depression is a state of mind one may not want to be in but it does not make it any less rational than just the “normal” state of hopefulness and resilience.

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