So it isn’t a big secret to family and friends that I have dealt with some depression in my past.  It is a touchy condition that has entered my life once or twice.  As any type A, slightly woo-woo girl would do, I’ve gone to a variety of wise oracles for advice including family, friends, therapists, self-help books, and meditation.

But in all my studies I never realized that what I really should have been studying is bugs. Here’s what I mean from a story on NPR called “Seratonin Boost Turns Locusts Into Social Swarms.“

A common brain chemical that affects mood in people has been linked in new research to the devastating swarming behavior of locusts, the insect that has plagued farmers since biblical times.

Elevated levels of serotonin, the same chemical targeted by some anti-depressant medications, appear to have a transformative effect on the insects’ social behavior, according to a report published this week in Science.

So, it seems as locusts swarm they release chemicals that raise their mood.  So the advice from Pearl at CarrieandDanielle.com (where I first saw the blog post) is when you are feeling down, swarm your way to joy.  I like it, and will try next time the blues arise.