Instagram filters are not just a way to make your pictures prettier, without editing skills. Some of them can reveal whether you are depressed or not, as scientists from Harvard and the University of Vermont discovered #mobilemagic
Researchers trained a program to analyze 13,000 photos from 166 Instagram users and afterwards, predict who among them is depressed. The results could be compared with their medical records, as some of them were indeed clinically depressed. As it turns out, the algorithm was right in 70% of the cases. Depressed users tended to use filters with low saturation and brightness. Inkwell was identified as the filter frequently used by depressed people (probably because it converts images in black and white) and Valencia, the preferred one by the rest.
The accuracy was astounding, given the circumstances. At this rhythm, medical communities and technology companies could soon develop apps that detect other health issues from your Social Media profile, only by taking into account tweets, pictures, emoticons and so on.
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