Continued preference for reversed images of self

Our visual experience of our own face is facilitated through reflections in mirrors and depictions in photographs, although our exposure to each format differs. Previously (2017), we reported a strong preference of the self in mirror reflections, likely mediated by greater exposure to the self in the mirror. With the continued rise of social media, including years of online interactions using applications such as Zoom, it is reasonable to predict people have had increased exposure to depictions of themselves, akin to how they appear in photographs (i.e., not mirror reversed). Such exposure might mitigate the effects we previously observed. In the current experiment, we replicated our original methods, six years after original data collection. We asked participants (N=30) to view their likeness in photographs that were reversed (such as when viewed in a mirror) or not reversed (such as when viewed in a photograph). Participants also adapted (or not) to the reversed or non-reversed photographs in a 2 x 2 design: 1) reversed; 2) non-reversed; 3) adapt to reversed for 45 seconds and judge non-reversed; 4) adapt to the non-reversed image for 45 seconds then view the reversed image. Photographs of each participant were taken just prior to the experiment. Participants then rated (on a scale of 1 – 7) how much each image looked like them and how much they liked the image. Each participant was run in each condition three times in random order. Our original results replicated — participants still preferred their mirror-reversed selves compared to their non-reversal. Their preferences significantly declined when judging non-reversal after adaptation to their mirror reflection. Although it is reasonable to assume familiarity to one’s non-reversed self has increased due to digital exposure, our results do not reflect any substantive change in self-representation.