{"id":809,"date":"2018-11-09T18:28:15","date_gmt":"2018-11-10T01:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/communicatingscience2018w112\/?p=809"},"modified":"2018-11-11T15:24:30","modified_gmt":"2018-11-11T22:24:30","slug":"mirror-mirror-on-the-wall-is-the-mirror-an-accurate-depiction-of-what-we-look-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/communicatingscience2018w112\/2018\/11\/09\/mirror-mirror-on-the-wall-is-the-mirror-an-accurate-depiction-of-what-we-look-like\/","title":{"rendered":"Mirror Mirror on the Wall: Is the mirror an accurate depiction of what we look like?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The concern about the look in the mirror<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The mirror is not an accurate depiction of what people look like because when people look in the mirror, they will beautify their appearance automatically,” my friend said when I told her I wonder if mirrors are accurate in reflecting how I am supposed to appear. This is a more common situation than not. I found that I look better in a mirror than in photos. Thus, do people prefer their mirror images than real images?<\/p>\n

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Source: Lincoln images<\/a>
The Left Pic is real Lincoln
The Right Pic is Lincoln in mirror image<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u00a0 Yes!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Indeed,\u00a0Mita et al. at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee<\/a><\/span> found that two-thirds of students preferred their mirror images over their actual photos when they were showed their real and mirror images at the same time. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

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Which factor can affect people\u2019s preference: self-glorified or familiarity?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Self-glorified<\/strong><\/p>\n

The reason for this preference is not that people “imagine” themselves to be more attractive; If the idea is valid, then either the real image or the mirror image should be self-glorified. Therefore, it cannot explain the difference between real and mirror images.<\/p>\n

Familiarity<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Source: Japanese alphabets<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

This preference is derived primarily from the mere exposure effect<\/a><\/span>: familiarity can breed liking. Generally speaking, things that are familiar are likely to be safer than things that are not. If we are familiar with something, we have apparently survived exposure to it, and our brain<\/a><\/span> could recognize this and steer us towards it. Melissa and Fiona<\/a><\/span> found that asking subjects to watch meaningless symbols repeatedly could make them prefer these symbols even if they don’t have any meanings. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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The same goes for faces. In our daily lives, we often look ourselves in the mirror, but rarely have the opportunity to see ourselves in the eyes of others. Therefore, we are more familiar with our image in the mirror and enjoy it more. Mita et al. (1977) collected data on friends or romantic partners, and their study<\/a><\/span> found that participants showed the opposite preference that they have more frequently been exposed to their friends’ or romantic partners’ real images than mirror images. Also, that preference was more pronounced among romantic partners because the romantic partners were more likely to contact the subjects.<\/p>\n

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