- New research challenges depressive realism: a theory that suggests depressed people are less prone to optimistic bias.
- Research from 1979 suggests that people with depression are more realistic when judging how much control they have over their lives, but the results couldn’t be replicated in a recent study.
- Medical treatment, along with talk therapy and spending time with loved ones, can ease the symptoms of mild depression.
If you have depression, you may have been told at one time or another that looking on the bright side of life could improve your condition.
People close to you may have accused you of simply underestimating your abilities or insisted that you could overcome depression if only you would adopt a little more optimism.
As frustrating as these comments may be, these well-intentioned people may have been working on a long-held assumption that depressed people are more realistic. This notion stems from a theory known as Depressive Realism.
The theory suggests that depressed people are less prone to the optimistic bias and are simply more realistic in judging how much control they have over their lives.
This notion comes from a 1979 study which examined whether a group of college students could predict how much control they had over whether a light turned green when they pressed a button.
The research found that depressed students were better at identifying when they were out of control, while students who were not depressed were more likely to overestimate their control of the lights.
Since 1979, these findings have seeped into popular culture and fields of scientific study. Nevertheless, new research refutes these findings and suggests that the results of the original study cannot be replicated.
In the new study, participants were prescreened for depression beforehand. They were divided into two groups, an online group and a college student group, and were asked to complete a task similar to the one used in 1979.
This time, the researchers added a mechanism to measure bias and varied the level of control participants actually had.
The recent study did not match the results of the original. In contrast, participants with a higher level of depression in the online group actually overestimated their control.
Meanwhile, the group of college students showed that depression levels had little impact on their view of their control.
What does this mean for the way we view and treat depression in the future?
“Since then, the original research article has been cited more than 2,000 times as a significant assumption. For a study four decades later to refute its ability to be replicated really puts a key in the work”, says the psychotherapist. tanya taylor.
“In my personal opinion, the original study was already flawed, and there shouldn’t be as much responsibility in attributing depressed people as depressive realists when the study itself wasn’t applicable to real-life scenarios,” he notes.
When it comes to mental health issues, making broad assumptions can be damaging and limiting. A person with depression may feel restricted by the notion that her mental health is simply the result of her thinking.
They can also find it frustrating and exhausting to avoid useless and inaccurate comments about their point of view from others.
Taylor agrees that the depressive realism theory can be harmful. “Cognitive theories of depression include how it distorts a person’s perception of their environment and experiences of it,” says Taylor.
“Stating categorically that this altered perception is healthier can have detrimental consequences for a person’s ability to recover from a depressed state and to build any sort of therapeutic alliance with their therapist,” she says.
For some, depressive realism can reinforce the stigma surrounding mental health. It may suggest that the depressed person is in some way to blame or is responsible for her condition. Or solidify the notion that they can get through it through the power of positive thinking.
“They didn’t tell you about low mood and depression, so how can you be expected to talk yourself out of it?” He says Silvia Tillmanexpert in stress and trauma release exercises.
She said such notions can be debilitating if you feel unable to help yourself.
Taylor thinks it’s a positive step that the term depressive realism is changing.
“Although I imagine that people who believe in the depressive realism theory over cognitive theory will still require more research before they are fully persuaded,” he adds.
It is impossible to assess how these new findings will be perceived by people living with depression. For some, the assumption that their outlook on life influences their mental health may have helped them understand their illness for many years.
For others, it can be a relief not to feel trapped by such perceptions.
Regardless of how you feel about the results of this new research, if you’re living with mild depression, you probably want to learn how to manage it.
Along with medical intervention, it is often assumed that depression is best managed through mindset. However, Tillmann says that working with the body is a great place to start.
She suggests dance, yoga, breathwork, or stress and trauma release exercises (TRE).
“These activities can release any trauma that is trapped in the body,” he explains. “The nervous system is calming down and they can also help relaxation. They also reconnect us with our body, which can be helpful for people with depression, as many describe feeling numb.”
When you’re not feeling your best, leaving the house can seem like a Herculean task, but it can make a world of difference. Taylor advises looking for blue spaces.
“Blue spaces include water. Whether it’s a small creek or creek, a bustling river, a calm pond or a calm lake, or the sound of ocean waves hitting the shore. Water is known to improve our mood,” he explains.
Going out to see friends and family can also help.
“Research consistently shows that if we spend time with people whose company we enjoy, we report that our mood improves,” says Taylor.
“If you’re too scared to go out into the world, try some easier first steps, like talking to a friend on the phone or text,” she advises.
Above all else, Taylor says seeking professional support is key.
“Talk therapy can be very helpful in helping you get out of a depressed state and learn what works for you. It can help you learn about your own triggers and what you can do to help yourself in the future,” he explains.
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