Like looking in the mirror, but hate seeing yourself in photos? Psychology has a simple explanation

Taking a picture with friends and realizing your face looks much worse than you thought is something many people experience. It comes down to a mix of psychological, physiological and even technical factors – none of which have to do with whether someone is actually more or less attractive.

Beauty is subjective, but recognizing the beauty in our own face is key to self-esteem. Yet photos can sometimes reveal a version of us that feels different from the one reflected in the mirror. In 1977, psychologists Theodore Mita, Marshall Dermer and Jeffrey Knight conducted an experiment in which participants were shown both a photo of their mirror image and a “normal” photo.

According to their results, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, participants preferred the mirrored version. This is no coincidence – several factors shape how we perceive ourselves depending on the medium.

Fewer imperfections in the mirror

When we look in a mirror, we see someone deeply familiar. We’ve been watching that reflection since birth, changing and growing with it. While many elements can distort our perception in photographs, the most common difference lies in what we focus on.

In the mirror, our brain highlights the most attractive features of our face. This is a psychological mechanism to maintain a positive self-image and healthy self-perception. When we see the same face in a photo, however, the brain tends to focus more on flaws. A 2008 study published in Perception found that people generally perceive their reflected faces as more symmetrical – even when they are not.

Angle and lighting have an influence

The mirror offers flexibility: we can shift, tilt, and find the angle or pose that flatters us most. That freedom gives a false sense of control that a static photo cannot provide. In an image, the face is fixed, and we often fail to choose a pose that suits us.

A 2018 study published in Frontiers in Psychology showed that moving faces are perceived more positively because they convey emotions and expressions. Camera type and quality also play a role, as not every photo faithfully captures reality. Wide-angle lenses, for example, can slightly stretch facial features. A 2016 study in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery found that selfies can distort the face by up to 30% compared to photos taken from a medium distance.

Lighting is another factor. The light in a bathroom or outdoors is not the same as the one caught in a photograph, which can accentuate shadows or features that normally go unnoticed.

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