December 26, 2025
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Having more pictures taken is one way get more comfortable with how you look in photos, psychologists say.
Ever looked at pictures a friend posted of you on social media and been unhappy about the way you look?
Even for people who generally feel confident about their appearance, seeing themselves in pictures can be jarring. Here are some psychological explanations and tips to be more confident when looking at photos of yourself.
One of the factors at play is the mere-exposure effect — the psychological tendency to prefer the familiar, which includes your own reflection in the mirror, according to Verywell Mind. People are most used to seeing themselves in mirrors, which reflect images in reverse, so viewing pictures can feel unfamiliar and less appealing.
"We see ourselves in the mirror all the time — you brush your teeth, you shave, you put on makeup," Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center, told the Atlantic. "Looking at yourself in the mirror becomes a firm impression. You have that familiarity. Familiarity breeds liking. You've established a preference for that look of your face."
Another reason for not liking how you look in photos has to do with confirmation bias, the psychological tendency for people to look for information they already believe to be true, according to Psychology Today. If someone thinks that they are overweight or have too many wrinkles, they will focus on details in photos that seemingly confirm those views.
"Instead of looking at the entire photo, your brain may zoom in on what you perceive to be flaws or distortions,” said Susan Albers, a Cleveland Clinic psychologist. "And our brain remembers the negative incidence and makes it bigger than it actually is."
Similarly, the spotlight effect causes some people to become preoccupied with thoughts that other people are scrutinizing their looks and behavior. This “heightened self-awareness can make us feel overly self-conscious when viewing photos,” Matt Johnson, a neuroscientist, told the Independent in 2024.
1. Have more photos taken to acclimate yourself, increase familiarity and reduce the shock when seeing what you look like in a picture. And try not to delete photos. "Our self-image and negative bias may change over time," Albers said. "This is why when people look back at their photos, they're often surprised and say, ‘I look really good.’ And it shows that there is a gap between our perception of how we feel and how we look. That negative self-image may cast a shadow on the way we see ourselves."
2. Acknowledge the negative thoughts and then try to let them go, Nadia Craddock, an applied body image researcher at the Centre for Appearance Research, told SELF in 2022. “You can have a negative thought, notice it, and then move on,” Craddock said. Of course, this can be easier said than done and takes some practice. “We all have our own ways of getting out of our heads, so it’s worth exploring what strategies feel best for you," she said. "Is it calling a friend, immersing yourself in work or a fun project, going on a walk, playing your favorite song on blast?”
3. Remind yourself that no one cares or is paying as much attention as you, Taylor Seegmiller, a therapist specializing in body image, told SELF. “It’s important to keep in mind that most of the time, these photos won’t even be looked at more than a few times or for a few seconds, if they’re even looked at at all," Seegmiller said. "Others aren’t nearly as interested in our appearance as we are, nor are they criticizing our appearance as harshly as we criticize ourselves.”
