Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → News

Why selfies make you hate your nose

OK, if you're into selfies, you need to read this.

Mihai Andrei by Mihai Andrei
February 15, 2019
in News

A new study has found that selfies make noses appear 30% larger — and people aren’t happy about it

Selfies are changing the way we see ourselves — both figuratively and literally.

The selfie effect

With the explosion of social media, people are taking billions of selfies every day and posting them to different channels. Social media has become an important part of our lives, with many people changing the way they look and act in response to this phenomenon. Boris Paskhover, an assistant professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s Department of Otolaryngology who specializes in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, realized that people want to change their appearance to improve their social media persona — even if that means plastic surgery. Many of the people who were asking him for plastic surgery showed selfie examples, prompting him to investigate this further.

“Young adults are constantly taking selfies to post to social media and think those images are representative of how they really look, which can have an impact on their emotional state,” he said. “I want them to realize that when they take a selfie they are in essence looking into a portable funhouse mirror.”

The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons has also noticed the trend. According to a 2017 poll, 55% of facial plastic surgeons reported seeing patients who wanted surgeries to make them look better in selfies, up from 13% in 2016.

Strangely, many of the people who wanted to change their noses had rather normal features.

“I’d say, ‘Your nose doesn’t look big — there’s distortion when you keep a camera close to your face,” Paskhover recalled.

An unexpected effect

Portrait A is taken at 12 inches; portrait B is taken at 60 inches. Credit:
Boris Paskhover

In order to better understand this, he teamed up with Ohad Fried, a research fellow at Stanford University’s Department of Computer Science. They developed a mathematical model which describes how photos taken at very short range (such as selfies) distort people’s opinions about their noses.

They found that when the lens is very close to the face, at about 30 cm (12 inches),  it makes the nose look about 30 percent larger compared to the rest of the face.

It’s all about perspective. Think about it this way: when you’re close to a building, it seems very large. But the more you step back, the smaller it seems. To the lens, your face is essentially a plane perpendicular to the main camera axis, and the nose is coming out of that plane. Due to this geometry, the closer the lens is too your face, the larger the nose seems relative to your other features.

Paskhover says that given how selfies drive people’s self-image, this should be considered a public health issue. What do you think?

Journal Reference: Brittany Ward, Max Ward, Ohad Fried, Boris Paskhover. Nasal Distortion in Short-Distance Photographs: The Selfie Effect. JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, 2018; DOI: 10.1001/jamafacial.2018.0009

 

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Hate your nose? Neanderthals may be to blame
  2. Curiosity’s taking selfies as Opportunity braves the storm
  3. Selfies destroy confidence and make young women feel less attractive
  4. Why people hate GMOs (when they shouldn’t)
  5. Why kids hate broccoli: a foul combination with oral bacteria
Tags: noseselfie

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW