Feeling blue? A bit down in the dumps? Well, scientists at Oxford University believe they have an answer.
A smartphone app has been developed that scans your facial expression to judge if you’re feeling depressed, stressed or plain angry.
It then uses that information to recommend the perfect food to lift the spirits or quell anxiety.
Professor Charles Spence, an experimental scientist, developed the app to scan the face for signs of emotions such as downturned lips and frown lines. It can even pick up hidden feelings that a person may be ignoring.
“Face mapping can provide a more accurate and objective assessment of a person’s mood or emotional state than they can,” said Prof Spence. “Often people are not able to say how they are feeling or just don’t feel they want to. After all, we might know that we are in a bad mood but not know why.
“There is a growing body of evidence that demonstrates that your mood has a significant impact on your taste and smell - it can deaden or liven the effect of both. The reverse of this is also believed to be true; that food can have a number of effects on your mood.
“This is at the very cutting edge of what technology and science can do but in the future it is likely to become much more the norm.”
Prof Spence developed the app in conjunction with the food delivery service Just Eat. It detects anger, disgust, fear, surprise, sadness and joy and makes menu suggestions according to what it finds.
An angry face suggests that a person is stressed and so would benefit from calming foods, such as dark chocolate and nuts, which contain magnesium. In contrast, people who are excited may benefit from blood sugar regulated foods such as whole grains and legumes.
Foods to increase mood and brain function include omega 3s (oily fish). Calming foods containing the amino acid tryptophan include nuts, seeds, tofu, cheese, red meat, chicken, turkey, fish, oats, beans, lentils and eggs.
Angry/stressed: Calming foods containing magnesium like dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, brown rice, avocado, black beans and nuts
Disgusted/disillusioned: Foods to increase mood and brain function, especially omega 3s (oily fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, walnuts and flaxseed)
Afraid/anxious: Calming foods containing the amino acid tryptophan, like nuts, seeds, tofu, cheese, red meat, chicken, turkey, fish, oats, beans, lentils and eggs
Surprised/excited: Blood sugar-regulating low glycemic index foods like whole grains, lean protein (fish, chicken, low-fat dairy, lentils and beans).
Sad/fed up: Vitamin D-rich foods to boost mood like dairy products, eggs and oily fish
Cheerful/joyful: Stabilise mood with vitamin B6 found in potatoes, eggs and chicken
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