Have you ever felt confident and stylish before a night out, only to be dismayed by photos taken later? The harsh reality of seeing yourself through a lens can be unsettling. Every flaw seems amplified, your face appears distorted, and your expressions are unsettling. What makes it worse is comparing yourself to others in the same photo. While they look effortlessly normal, you're left questioning your appearance. Even those with solid self-esteem can fall victim to the crushing effects of an unflattering picture. It can chip away at confidence, triggering a spiral of self-doubt and criticism.
So why do we hate how we look in photos?
According to Dr Matt Johnson, a neuroscientist and consumer psychology professor, our discomfort with photos of ourselves stems from the "mere-exposure effect." This psychological phenomenon suggests we prefer familiar views of ourselves, like mirror reflections. Photos disrupt this familiarity, causing discomfort.
''Since we see our mirror reflection far more often than photos, we become more comfortable with it”. So if you're checking your reflection in the bathroom every morning before you leave the house, you're likely to get familiar with that particular image of yourself, '' Mr Johnson said.
Eloise Skinner, a psychotherapist, agreed with him saying, ''You're normally seeing yourself in the same mirror with the same lighting, the same perspective and angle. Then when a photo is taken, it can catch you at a moment where you've never seen your face or body from that perspective before, so it can be a bit of a disconnect.''
Here's why this affects photos:
- Unfamiliarity: Photos reveal angles and features we don't regularly see in mirrors.
- Lack of control: Cameras capture unposed, unguarded moments.
- High scrutiny: We critically examine our photos, focusing on flaws.
- Contrast: Comparing ourselves to curated social media images.
- Self-perception gap: Our self-image differs from how others see us.
When we gaze into a mirror, our reflection shows a reversed image, flipping our facial asymmetries. However, photographs reveal our "true" image, unaltered and unfamiliar. This discrepancy explains why we often feel disconnected from our photographed selves.
As a result, we experience a strange sense of disconnection when seeing ourselves in photos, triggering the "Is that me?" reaction. On the other hand, we're constantly exposed to the "true" images of friends and family in real life. This familiarity makes their photographed appearances seem more natural and authentic. Our brains become accustomed to their unaltered images, making their photos appear more relatable.
''Our brains also tend to process faces we see frequently with more ease, making them appear clearer or more flattering in our perception. So while our own photos feel off, images of others tend to align better with how we've always seen them,'' Mr Johnson added.
Research also suggests that humans have an inaccurate perception of their physical appearance, often influenced by self-enhancement bias. Dr William Van Gordon, associate professor in contemplative psychology at the University of Derby, explains that this phenomenon involves overrating one's positive characteristics while failing to recognize the difference between self-perception and others' perceptions.
The "spotlight effect" is another common psychological bias that makes us believe others are scrutinising our appearance as intensely as we do. According to Dr. Johnson, this heightened self-awareness fuels our self-consciousness when viewing photos. We tend to obsess over our flaws, assuming others notice them just as much.
However, the truth is, that others are likely too preoccupied with their own perceived imperfections to pay much attention to ours. They're busy critiquing their own jawline, teeth, or hair, rather than scrutinizing our nose or other features.
"Our perception of our own attractiveness, and the attractiveness of people we know well, is “often skewed by our emotions and cognitive biases, rather than an objective assessment”, Mr Johnson explained.
