The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a brand new era of digital connection: In the absence of in-person gatherings, many individuals as an alternative found themselves face-to-face with their co-workers and family members on a screen.
Videoconferencing has provided many advantages and conveniences. However, it isn’t surprising that continually seeing ourselves on screens might include some downsides as well.
Prior to the pandemic, studies showed that surgeons were seeing increasing numbers of patients requesting alterations of their image to match filtered or doctored photos from social media apps. Now, several years into the pandemic, surgeons are seeing a brand new boom of cosmetic surgical requests related to videoconferencing. In one study of cosmetic procedures through the pandemic, 86% of cosmetic surgeons reported videoconferencing because the commonest reason for cosmetic concerns amongst their patients.
Despite the incontrovertible fact that many features of life have returned to some version of pre-pandemic normal, it’s clear that videoconferencing and social media can be with us for the foreseeable future. So what does that mean in the case of appearance satisfaction and making peace with the image that’s reflected back at us?
For the past 10 years, I even have worked as a specialist in obsessive-compulsive disorders, eating disorders and anxiety. Since the pandemic, I, too, have seen increasing numbers of therapy clients reporting that they struggle with appearance concerns related to videochatting and social media.
Zooming in on image and appearance dissatisfaction
Every person has perceptions and thoughts about their appearance. These will be neutral, negative or positive. We all have a look at ourselves within the mirror and could have even experienced distress while taking a look at our reflection.
There are plenty of aspects that will result in appearance dissatisfaction.
A preoccupation with thoughts, feelings or images of 1’s own appearance is linked to the motion of “mirror gazing,” or watching one’s reflection. Researchers suggest that the sort of selective self-focused attention and mirror gazing can result in negative fixations on specific attributes or minor flaws, which in turn intensify the preoccupation with these attributes.
Other aspects that may contribute to appearance dissatisfaction include low self-esteem, societal beliefs around appearance, peer and parental influences, temperament and genetic predispositions to mental health conditions.
Appearance dissatisfaction and negative evaluations of self are related to depression, lower self-esteem, habitual negative pondering and increased social anxiety. What’s more, research suggests that these preoccupations can contribute to the development of eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors, akin to steadily restricting food intake or exercising without refueling.
The ‘Zoom’ effect
With the ubiquity of Zoom meetings, FaceTime calls, selfies and the constancy of documenting our lives on social media, access to our own image can often feel inescapable. And for some people, this may magnify feelings of appearance dissatisfaction that will have been more fleeting before the Zoom era.
Since the pandemic, screen time has increased for each adults and youngsters. What’s worse, recent research suggests that the video and photo reflections we see of ourselves are distorted.
Videoconferencing, taking selfies and posting on social media are visually based activities where appearance is usually the first focus. All of them have in common the incontrovertible fact that an individual’s image is either live or shared in an instantaneous manner. Perhaps not surprisingly, these image-based platforms have been significantly related to appearance dissatisfaction, anxiety, depression and eating disorders.
One study found that those that engaged in additional videochatting appearance comparisons, meaning those that checked out others’ appearance during a video call and sized up their very own appearance compared, experienced lower appearance satisfaction. This study also found that folks who used more photo-editing features on videochat platforms were more more likely to compare themselves with others and spend more time taking a look at themselves on video calls.
One thing that is exclusive to videoconferencing is that it allows people to simply compare themselves with others and watch themselves sharing and speaking in real time. A 2023 study found that discomfort with one’s appearance during videoconferencing led to an increased fixation on appearance, which in turn led to impaired work performance.
Researchers also suggest that appearance dissatisfaction is related to virtual-meeting fatigue. The research reports that this might be because of negative self-focused attention, cognitive overload and anxiety around being stared at or being negatively evaluated based on appearance.
This last point is notable due to the problem videochatters have determining where other users are looking. Using the concept of the “highlight effect” − our tendency as humans to overestimate how much others are judging our appearance − this difficulty may result in more anxiety and individuals believing that others are evaluating their appearance during a video call.
How to combat appearance dissatisfaction within the digital age
If you end up criticizing your appearance each time you hop onto a videoconference call, it might be time to judge your relationship together with your appearance and search out help from a certified therapist.
Here are some questions to think about to assist determine whether your thought patterns or behaviors are problematic:
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How much of my day is spent fascinated with my appearance?
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What kind of behaviors am I doing around my appearance?
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Do I feel distressed if I don’t perform these behaviors?
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Does this behavior align with my values and the way I need to be spending my time?
Another strategy is to be intentional about specializing in what other persons are saying in a videoconference as an alternative of peering at your individual face.
When it involves helping others who is likely to be fighting appearance dissatisfaction, it will be significant to deal with the person’s innate qualities beyond appearance. People ought to be conscious of their comments, irrespective of how well intentioned. Negative comments about appearance have been linked to worsened self-esteem and mental health. When viewing yourself or your peers on video and social media, try specializing in the person as a complete and never as parts of a body.
Reducing screen time could make a difference as well. Research shows that reducing social media use by 50% can improve appearance satisfaction in each teens and adults.
When used sparsely, videoconferencing and social media are tools to attach us with others, which ultimately is a key piece in satisfaction and well-being.
