Why We Look More Strange In Selfies Than Reflected In The Mirror

By Carrie Tsai,  Last Updated: May 17, 2019

If you've ever asked yourself, "Why does my face look crooked in pictures?" And at some point in our lives, we have wondered why on the earth do we look different in the mirror than in photos. What is this sorcery, right? You should definitely read this.

Why you look better in the mirror than in a photograph?

Throwing away the angle, light, camera settings and other factors, there is a psychological phenomenon called "exposure effect" that affects our judgment: people will prefer things they are familiar with, and the increase in the number of occurrences will increase their likeness.

When you look in the mirror, your appearance is a mirror look. That is to say, most of the situations you see in your whole life are different from those of others. This is mainly because our faces are usually asymmetrical or not completely symmetrical, what you see is a mirror image, others see a normal image. The picture taken by the camera is a normal image, and it is the same as what others see, so this can explain why, after taking the photo, only you said that your appearance is so strange, others say it is normal.

As for why you feel not so good, it is because we are used to our own mirror image. When some subtle changes occur, such as seeing normal images, we are because these challenges have our usual cognition, so we have reached awkward conclusions. As for what we think we don't look good in the photo.

The mirror is a reflection, it’s not the real you.

New York-based photographer Michael Levy expanded on Rutledge’s point for HuffPost, noting that when we gaze in the mirror, we tend to gaze at what we consider our good side ― that is, the angle that seems most attractive to us.

“When you’re looking in the mirror, you are subconsciously turning your face, usually, to a certain angle that to you is most optimal,” said Levy. “It attracts you to yourself.”

What should I believe — the mirror or photos

The picture taken on the camera on the phone is how other people percieve you. The mirror is how you percieve yourself. The mirrror shows a flipped image of your face and as you're so accustomed to seeing this image of yourself when you see the flipped version you notice immediate flaws such as the face not being completely symmetrical. Take a picture of a well known person and flip the picture horizontally in photoshop, you will see what I'm talking about.

Sometimes the person you see in photos just doesn’t look like you. Whenever you see a picture that just doesn’t look like you, it’s a really strange experience. The photo doesn’t even have to look bad, it just has to make you feel like you don’t look like you.

Anyway. The one who love life is the most beautiful, what man really is — depends on who and what eyes looking at him. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", it should not be forgotten.