Your Cell Phone Can Predict If You’re Depressed

Would it surprise you to know that your phone knows if you're depressed? No, for real. It  does!

According to a new study by Northwestern University, how often and where you use your phone can predict depression with a staggering 86% accuracy.

Researchers say that depressed people hang out on their phone more than twice as much as non-depressed people. But the depressed people probably weren't calling or texting. Researchers suspect the depressed people were online or playing games.

Senior author David Mohr, Ph.D said, "People are likely, when on their phones, to avoid thinking about things that are troubling, painful feelings, or difficult relationships. It's an avoidance behavior we see in depression.”

Researchers used the GPS on study people's phones to track where they went during the day, how much time they spent places, and how regular their daily routine was. They found that depressed actually went to fewer places, had irregular routines, and spent a lot of time at home.