Psychology What does a perfect selfie look like?

Scientists are exploring what the perfect selfie looks like
Almost every smartphone owner has already taken a selfie. Often, these are also disseminated through social networks such as Facebook or Instagram. Psychologists from Otto-Friedrich University Bamberg have now investigated how to look particularly attractive or slim on a selfie.

Selfies have become an everyday habit that is used not only by celebrities and bloggers to get noticed. How a selfie should be taken in order to be particularly attractive, slim or sympathetic, for example, was the task of the research team headed by Tobias Schneider and Prof. Dr. med. Claus-Christian Carbon from the Department of General Psychology at the University of Bamberg analyzed in a recent study. The researchers published their results in the journal "frontiers in Psychology".

Psychologists from the University of Bamberg have looked into what the perfect selfie looks like. (Image: lassedesignen / fotolia.com)

Influence of the camera position examined
As part of their study, the scientists examined the influence of different camera positions on the effect of selfies. How strongly the perception of personality traits can be influenced solely by the camera position is quite surprising. More than three hundred subjects in the study evaluated computer-generated 3D models of real faces from seven different, selfie-typical camera perspectives, according to the University's announcement.

Selfies an important medium?
In the investigation, the focus was on assessment dimensions such as attractiveness, dominance, intelligence or body weight, the researchers explain. According to study author Tobias Schneider, the "examined variables play a crucial role in social interactions and even in mate choice" and selfies would often serve as an important medium. "A reason to be closer to it as a psychologist," continues Schneider. The aim of the study was to find out whether certain camera positions of a person are particularly flattering or rather negative appraisals.

Left face in women particularly attractive?
Based on the evaluation of the image assessments, the researchers were able to prove that, for example, women are perceived as particularly attractive when they turn their left-hand faces to the camera. Meanwhile, they are more helpful when they show their right side of the face. On the other hand, men would be more sympathetic when they turned their right half of their face to the camera. From previous studies, which were carried out in collaboration with scientists from the University of Mainz, had also been known that a camera position from slightly above flattering affects the assessment of body weight.

Lateral rotation of the camera makes you slim
In terms of perception of body weight, the recent study also showed that lateral rotation of the camera enhances the flattering effect of a selfie from above. According to Professor Carbon, this may already be intuitively taken into account. Because "we normally hold the camera diagonally next to us during a selfie and raise or lower the arm," explains Carbon. According to the results of the current study, this intuitive action can greatly contribute to "the fact that observers of such an image estimate their body weight significantly lower." In a lower-positioned camera, the people depicted would generally be overweight, as a typical lateral twist could cushion this effect , (Fp)