Recorded baseline resting electroencephalogram activity with 3 different reference montages from 15 clinically depressed and 13 control Ss. Power in all frequency bands was extracted by fast Fourier transformation. There was a significant Group× Hemisphere interaction in the midfrontal region, for the alpha band power only. Depressed Ss had less left-sided activation (ie, more alpha activity) than did normal control Ss. This pattern of diminished left-sided frontal activation is interpreted as indicating a deficit in approach mechanisms in depressed Ss.(PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)