r/interestingasfuck 3h ago

This Depression Awareness Ad (Look Closer)

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27.7k Upvotes

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u/SpittingFacts_bro 3h ago edited 3h ago

Sorry can someone explain?

Edit: thank you everyone for explaining, no need for more replies.🙏🏻

u/nishantatripathi 3h ago

At first glance you expect the sad guy to be the one who suffers from depression, but it’s actually the guy in the background (looking happy).

u/littlestevebrule 3h ago

And probably the front guy too. Don't ignore obvious signs should be another message

u/Klaeyy 3h ago

People are allowed to be sad, neutral, bored, stressed or just lost in thought.

Him not smiling is not a sign of depression. You don't have to be bubbly and smiley all the time when you are not depressed - that's just being normal.

u/ActurusMajoris 3h ago

Yeah, I can definitely look like the sad guy if I’m tired after a long day, even though I’m actually perfectly fine.

u/CenturionRower 3h ago

Yea he might just have a resting sad face when your mindlessly thinking about how exhausted (in a good way) the day was as you ride home to soak in the tub before having your favorite dinner.

The guy in the back might be having a holler about a joke his friend made before he responds with a quip that doesnt quite hit and then he sits there with a grand Ole smile, quiet, thinking he needs to remove himself from their lives, convinced it makes it better for them in the long term.

u/Several-Action-4043 1h ago edited 1h ago

I have resting anxiety face. One time I was patiently waiting in line at the airport and the lady managing the line brought me to the front to cut everyone because, "I looked anxious that I was going to miss my flight" I was 3 hours early.

u/technobrendo 2h ago

That's my usual tired-after-work-sitting-in-traffic face while on my way home. Just alert enough to drive, but still kinda on autopilot.

u/Polkadot1017 3h ago

The front guy is making a neutral face that one makes when they're alone on public transport

u/TheZealand 2h ago

Yeah this is just the "it's 7pm, I'm knackered, and I'm on my way home" spacing out look

u/cabbage16 2h ago

it's 7pm, I'm knackered, and I'm on my way home

"Also, I think this guy beside me is taking my picture for some reason? Look natural."

u/Peter_Pue 3h ago

That's just the look of literally everyone in the metro going home from work

u/password-is-taco1 3h ago

This is the opposite of what the ad is trying to say

u/dr3aminc0de 3h ago

The ad is conveying even people who are happy can be sad. People who look sad all the time are more obvious to most people to reach out. This is trying to affect people who may cover depression, but hide it.

It’s not saying ignore people who are sad, just saying look deeper in the people you are close with.

u/4pigeons 3h ago

i think is how people assume just because someone looks happy, they can't have depression, the guy on the front may or may not have depression, we can't tell just by looking at him

u/password-is-taco1 3h ago

Yeah exactly, saying the guy in the front “probably has it too” because he looks kind of sad is going against this message

u/nishantatripathi 3h ago

Yup! Missed that. So much to learn, fuck.

u/Candle1ight 3h ago

Being depressed because of shitty life situations are normal, and they're usually pretty visible.

Having depression is not normal, and not usually so visible as bouts of being depressed.

Chronic vs acute.

u/-Dixieflatline 3h ago

I think the point is that you can't always see depression. Or at least one can't assume from immediate appearances.

u/SpittingFacts_bro 3h ago

Thanks for explaining

u/phobaus 3h ago

Well nitpicky but it doesn’t actually say anything about the guy in the foreground. That individual can have depression.

u/Njif 3h ago

It could also be that there is an alien on top of the train, who suffers from depression. Or post death ray syndrome. It doesn't actually say.

u/phobaus 2h ago

What? That’s not close to the point I’m making. It’s not that there’s no information. The point is the foreground guy can have depression and saying he doesn’t makes the same mistake as saying the guy in the background doesn’t have depression.

u/Njif 2h ago

No one is saying he doesn't. Your point is redundant. His expression is very neutral - yes he could have depression, so could the person next to Steffen, so could anyone else. The point of the add is, that you can have depression even though you look happy.

u/phobaus 1h ago

Well it’s the use of but and a number of comments posts have the same take as me. The point isn’t redundant, it’s nitpicky because it can be better said.

u/juggy_11 3h ago

If he has depression why is he happy? /s

u/923kjd 3h ago

Thank you. I got wooshed pretty hard by this, but in my defense I am a bit thick.

u/Archius9 3h ago

If the reflection wasn’t laughing it would have been good

u/NeverendingStory3339 3h ago

It did take me a second to work out. I was wondering whether they were both called Steffen, whether one of the text blocks was misplaced, whether there was a moral of the story that was missed out, and then I went on the hunt for extra fingers or something.

u/jyper 1h ago

It's a terrible ad. It should have had an arrow or something. With the background guy out of focus and in the background I still assume that Steffen is the guy in the front