Do you (like most of us) usually hate photos of yourself? Do you have a mirror that you use for that final searching look, the one you give before you hit the world outside your front door? – And is there discrete lighting illuminating that mirror image that you are obsessively compelled to examine?
Well you are not alone – it is in fact a widely shared personal neurosis that comes of seeing yourself only as a two dimensional image; and for some illogical reason we all sub-consciously assume that this is the way we are seen by everyone else on the planet.
But in fact, everyone else sees you in not two dimensions, but in four. The depth of three dimensions and the memory and movement of time – or – the fourth dimension.
I discovered this in the same way that a child learns about fire when he burns his fingers for the first time.
I bought a 3D camera.
And suddenly with my first movie selfie, I introduced myself to someone very new and different – the multifaceted person that everyone in the world sees – and knows – that is – everyone except me !
With a little research I discovered that this phenomenon has actually been studied – and even has a name – ‘the mere exposure effect’ (named by Stanford psychologist Robert Zajonc in the 1960s).
It has its own set of neuroses including emotional lateralization (where most people show more emotion) on the right side of their faces – (which is where we tend to look) – and when we address them we move focus to the left of their faces (so as not to appear to stare).
And even when complete strangers see your image on a social networking page, their subconscious utility functioning brain quickly fills in the multi-faceted sides that the image does not actually display – often with great flattery – depending of course what radiates out from the abstract, or what you actually have to say.
There is even a study entitled “Reversed Facial Images and the Mere-Exposure Hypothesis,” by psychologists Mita, Dermer and Knight which postulates that “individuals will prefer a facial photograph that corresponds to their mirror image rather than to their true image.”
So, the next time you find yourself obsessing about that little zit, or mole that your eye gets magnetically drawn to, or that nose you have learned to ignore – remember that only you know yourself like that – and – if that’s all your friends saw – even they probably would not even recognize you!
Written by: N.Olivier (Guest Writer)
