Hi Dr. Rosenthal! Your work is great and I’m so excited to see you participating in Mental Health Awareness Week. I am curious to hear your thoughts on how melanin levels interact with SAD. I have close friends who live in Northeast US states. Some have lighter skin and don’t seem to suffer with SAD. Others have darker skin and tend to suffer more. Is it possible that the level of melanin in one’s skin predisposes them to SAD? Would light therapy be different for people with varying levels of melanin in their skin?
Note: I’m well aware that anti-black racism is likely a confounding variable. It may be difficult to isolate epigenetic/socio-political factors when conducting research.
Spaghetti-Dinner39763 karma
Hi Dr. Rosenthal! Your work is great and I’m so excited to see you participating in Mental Health Awareness Week. I am curious to hear your thoughts on how melanin levels interact with SAD. I have close friends who live in Northeast US states. Some have lighter skin and don’t seem to suffer with SAD. Others have darker skin and tend to suffer more. Is it possible that the level of melanin in one’s skin predisposes them to SAD? Would light therapy be different for people with varying levels of melanin in their skin?
Note: I’m well aware that anti-black racism is likely a confounding variable. It may be difficult to isolate epigenetic/socio-political factors when conducting research.
View HistoryShare Link