• Question: Does our mental health affect the way we see and learn things?

    Asked by anon-266920 to Parise on 3 Nov 2020.
    • Photo: Parise Carmichael-Murphy

      Parise Carmichael-Murphy answered on 3 Nov 2020: last edited 3 Nov 2020 8:47 pm

      Our mental health is sometimes reflected in the way we feel, and our feelings can influence our learning. For example, if someone is experiencing a low mood they might also find it difficult to concentrate, feel positive about their work, or even figure out their work.

      There is evidence to suggest that mental health and our eyes, our vision, or our sight are linked – but I think people are still trying to understand this in more detail.

      Psychologists may look to see what the retina (light-sensitive tissue at the back of your eye) can tell us about brain functioning, for example, how people with certain mental health conditions can experience light sensitivity (photophobia).

      They might also investigate how the visual cortex (part of the brain that processes visual information) can lead people to experience visual hallucinations (see things that aren’t really there).

Comments

  • Photo: Madeleine

    Madeleine commented on :

    Your mental health can have an effect on your memory and impact how well you’re learning. Like Parise said it can impact your attention and concentration but you also have a better memory for things that match your mood. If you have depression this can mean a much better memory for bad times and that can mean learning about something happy or reflecting what you did can not be remembered or remembered wrong.

    In terms of seeing it can also change the way you think about things. A person with depression might see an event as being terrible and going so badly but someone else might think it went quite well.
    Parise has some great points about eyesight though which I think might have been what you meant by seeing.