Eye-tracking study finds depression memes act like visual magnets for people experiencing depressive symptoms

Depressed people are more likely to enjoy internet memes that contain themes related to sadness, hopelessness or isolation — and they also show an attentional bias towards these images, according to new research. “My co-author Jennifer Drabble and I often use memes as a way to communicate. Indeed, for years my social media feed would be filled with memes shared by friends, often related to mental health,” said Umair Akram (@Eumayrs), the lead author of the new studies and a lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University. “As someone who suffers from depression, I personally found memes related to dep...