It's not the real you. Although we're the most comfortable and familiar with the face staring back at us while we brush our teeth in the morning, the mirror isn't really the real us. It's a reflection, so it shows how we look like in reverse.
When it comes to accuracy, mirrors are generally considered more reliable than photos or videos. This is because mirrors reflect light in a way that's closer to how we see things in real life.
The image you see in the mirror is reversed compared to the image that others see face-to-face with you. Your friends are familiar with your non-reversed image, while you are familiar with your reversed image in a regular mirror.
Summary. Mirror images provide a more accurate perception of self due to the mere exposure effect, while camera images show how others see us. Selfies offer a unique perspective but can be distorted and less accurate than mirror selfies.
Hold two hand mirrors in front of you with their edges touching and a right angle between them like the two covers of a book when you're reading. With a little adjustment you can get a complete reflection of your face as others see it.
This is because the reflection you see every day in the mirror is the one you perceive to be original and hence a better-looking version of yourself. So, when you look at a photo of yourself, your face seems to be the wrong way as it is reversed than how you are used to seeing it.
The mirror is a reflection.
Although we're the most comfortable and familiar with the face staring back at us while we brush our teeth in the morning, the mirror isn't really the real us. It's a reflection, so it shows how we look like in reverse.
Even if you have a chiselled jaw or strong cheekbones in real life, they can appear disproportionate in the photos. If you are too close or too far from the camera, it can make a big difference to the photo. For example, if you take a close-up photo, your forehead or nose might appear too big or wider than real.
When people look into a mirror, they see an image of themselves behind the glass. That image results from light rays encountering the shiny surface and bouncing back, or reflecting, providing a "mirror image." People commonly think of the reflection as being reversed left to right; however, this is a misconception.
Features that are closest to the lens are going to be emphasized in the photo ― like noses. And when we take selfies, we're generally closer to the camera than we would be if someone else were taking our photo. At the end of the day, though, the way we appear in photos is the way we look to the rest of the world.
Therefore, in terms of spiritual symbolism, mirrors reflect truth. They reflect what is. Psychology however – as it often does – disagrees entirely and flips this symbolism on its head. In a psychological sense, mirrors symbolize the threshold between the conscious mind and the unconscious mind.
People see you inverted in real life, or the opposite of your mirror image. When you look in a mirror, what you're actually seeing is a reversed image of yourself. As you're hanging out with friends or walking down the street, people see your image un-flipped.
Do you see yourself uglier or prettier? In a series of studies, Epley and Whitchurch showed that we see ourselves as better looking than we actually are. The researchers took pictures of study participants and, using a computerized procedure, produced more attractive and less attractive versions of those pictures.
A new study shows that 20% of people see you as more attractive than you do.
When it comes to they way you look, is the camera more accurate or is a mirror? The mirror is more accurate, since it doesn't exhibit any optical aberrations. You can't achieve that with any camera. Only flat mirrors can do this.
We have spent our lives seeing our faces in the mirror, and we have become used to seeing our face that way round. So when we reverse that image, it doesn't look right. No one has a perfectly symmetrical face. Most people part their hair on one side rather than the other.
Looking in the mirror or Mirror gazing is often associated with narcissism but it is an important part of self-growth as it helps us to learn to see our reflection hence boosting self-kindness and self-compassion, mindfulness, and better stress management. But have you been avoiding looking in the mirror?
When cameras take photos, they separate the foreground, middle ground, and background very differently than two human eyes do. This exaggerates the depth difference between parts of your face, making them look disproportionate.
Plane mirrors have a flat surface that reflects light. They produce true-to-life images with very little distortion and are the most common type used in bathrooms. They're the best choice for a reflection of real and accurate proportions.
Given that FOV and the distance you can hold the camera from your face is going to top out at around 2.5 feet for most people, your features closest to the camera will seem quite exaggerated, and is not an accurate representation of proportions.
In most cases, facial asymmetry is either not noticeable, or so slight that it's not a big deal when it is noticed.
The "Correct" Representation
However, when we see a photo, we look at a 2D representation of ourselves, which is not reversed and can look different from what we see in the mirror and we are not used to the reversed face in the photo. We don't have a symmetrical face that shows no differences when it is reversed.