Depressed Hamsters Help Researchers

Ant wrote to mention an ABC News article indicating that hampsters feel the same effects during the winter months as humans do. Known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.), winter-related depression affects up to 20 percent of Americans. From the article: "For example, if the animals spend more time hovering near the walls of their containers, rather than at the center, it's believed they feel more anxious. If they decline to slurp up tempting offers of sugar water, scientists take it as a sign of depression. Another test involves placing the animals in water and seeing if they swim or simply give up and float. Hamsters don't sink apparently, but float in water. 'The sooner they give up in the water, the more depressed they are,' Pyter said. 'If you give them an antidepressant they don't give up as quickly.'"

Comments

Amazing stuff

[Yst]

Hamsters don't sink apparently, but float in water.

These are some exciting results!

You learn something new every day. With results like these, how far away can self-replicating autonomous nanobots be?

Tips according to the article...

[Chaffar]

Tips For Beating Seasonal Depression

Exercise Rosenthal suggests that going for a walk or jog, or doing some other form of exercise can also help beat the blues. Exercising is even more effective against SAD if done outside during bright daytime hours. Eat well It may be the time of year that you crave comfort foods that are full of starches and sugar, but Rosenthal says these foods can exacerbate seasonal affective disorder. Get away If all else fails and if you have the time and money, take a vacation to a sunny place.

Exercise? Eat well? Get away? This article has no purpose to insult us geeks. But I did leave the best for last:

Go outside Spend as much time outside as possible and when inside, try to maximize your exposure to natural sunlight.

Actually that's wrong...

[mrRay720]

"Another test involves placing the animals in water and seeing if they swim or simply give up and float. Hamsters don't sink apparently, but float in water."

That's not the test to see if a hamster is depressed, it's the test to see if the hamster is a witch.

Re:Hampster

[Anonymous Coward]

Part hamster, part hamper, the hampster displaces the capybara as the largest known rodent. The hampster thrives on dirty clothes, which it stores in its oversized cheek pouches.

Stop being glib.

[adolfojp]

"Hamster psychiatry is a pseudoscience," Tom Criuse told host Matt Lauer, later saying: "You don't know the history of rodent psychiatry. I do."

Sorry, couldn't help it. I haven't taken my vitamins today. :-P

Adolfo

Re:Hampster

[sacrilicious]

WTF is a hampster?

It's a p2p network for exchanging hams. Smoked, honey-roasted, bone-in/out, the selection is incredible. Sometimes it takes a long time to download, and the quality can be variable, but hey it's free.