As men and women see themselves in a mirror

As men and women see themselves in a mirror

The known metaphor of John Gray that men from Mars, and women from Venus, it is quite possible to transfer from an unscientific hypothesis to the category of quite scientific theory. Behind its proofs look no further. It is enough to estimate ability of vising and to compare as representatives of different floors estimate the reflection in a mirror.

Differences in men's and female mentality are so indisputable and obvious that John Gray's hypothesis of alien origin of floors can be brought to the law level. Men from Mars, women from Venus as the man and the woman differently perceive the body – and to these all speaks. However notes and jokes about it today does not do unless lazy. The Internet dazzles with publications, infographics, visual sammar and demotivators of rather gender differences in thinking and behavior. One of widely discussed is the question: "Who looks in a mirror more often and whether approach to assessment of the otzerkalenny image is identical at the man and the woman?".

According to observations, during the day the person looks in a mirror on average from 8 do12 time. If to it to add screens of smartphones, glasses of a car, a show-window of shops and the other reflecting surfaces, then the quantity increases much and can reach 70. Why we do it so often?

The person social and to him it is important to know a being how it looks in the opinion of people around. Especially carefully we check and we will check the appearance if the important business meeting, an appointment or a performance on public are necessary. Common opinion that women spend more time at a mirror, in the past for a long time. Ladies learned to do a hair and a make-up almost blindly, and men instead of quick shaving can carefully look after a stylish small beard. According to the research which is not so long ago conducted by the Avaj company in sociological group of 1000 British the following became clear: women look in a mirror on average 16 times in a day, and it is much more man – about 23 times. And, the purpose at representatives of a different floor differs. Ladies do it for check of the appearance or that to correct something in a hairstyle, a make-up, clothes. Men mainly estimate as they look or just admire the reflection. Experts consider one of the reasons of so scrupulous attitude towards the appearance general hobby of a selfie. We want to look in blogs and on pages of social networks "on all hundred".

The eye estimation is guilty

As the smooth surface would be perfect, absolute submission to the law of equality of hades and reflections of the ray of light getting on it does not happen. Even in ideally smooth, brilliant and flat mirror there is an effect of a lens, and it means that reflection is distorted.

Having added some psychological aspects to physics of creation of specular reflection, it is possible to receive the following: we see ourselves in a mirror through a prism of own beliefs, family and patrimonial foundations, public rules, social norms. The classic of a philosophical esthetics M.M. Bakhtin characterized it so: "I look at myself world eyes". And how we perceive the reflection, directly influences our emotions and behavior.

The paradox in perception and a self-assessment by representatives of various floors consists in the following:

  • women see themselves in a mirror 1.5-2 times thicker and below, than they are actually. Most often they find themselves insufficiently nice, carp at details of appearance and signs of age. At the same time they estimate the shape in general and think how to improve it; 
  • almost 5-fold overestimate of level of the appeal concerning what was seen in specular reflection is peculiar to men. As a rule, they are satisfied with the appearance and often just admire separate parts of a body. And, they place priorities on charm degree so: hands, legs, smile, eyes, hair.

If to argue in more detail, then business here not only in defects of mirrors and subjectivity of our self-assessment. The reason - in the ability of vising put by the nature (estimates of the sizes and a configuration of objects). It is important as the person of more than 70% of information perceives visually.

Here simple everyday examples of the fact that the eye estimation at women and men is not identical:

  • one of the most difficult tasks for the autolady (even with a decent driver's experience) – the parking. Sometimes they cannot even stop by in gate of own garage, not to mention without accident to "parkanutsya" not to the close parking; 
  • in the woman's life more often than men encounter pieces of furniture - that is called, cannot fit in; 
  • the man can always precisely estimate distance and tell in how many meters there is any given object. He offhand will call the sizes and will correctly define a configuration of objects.

For this reason women, vising worse, cannot estimate, the mirror is how inexact reflects their proportions. And it is just those 1.5 - 2 times on which they feel more thickly and below. And still they completely trust a mirror eye and address it the words of the character of the Pushkin fairy tale: "My light, a pocket mirror, tell and all truth report".

Men, on the contrary, expostulate on a smooth surface. They it is aware that the mirror distorts – "in a curve mirror and a mouth on one side". Not to belittle the advantages and to establish the truth, they add to themselves concerning what was seen in reflection a bonus of appeal from 1 to 5 points.

The general for all the reflection secret in a mirror is that this picture is built by our brain, leaning on our own momentary feelings and emotions concerning the appearance.

In order that in a gender battle on a self-objectivization with participation of mirrors there was a fighting draw, psychologists advise:

  • on the women's hysterical and desperate issue "I Am Fat?" firmly and surely to answer in the negative from four offers: "Is not present! You! Not! Tolstaya!";
  • with hope the questioning man in response to the "Well, how I to you?" has to receive by all means approving approval: "It is good!".

Then there will be no reason for a conversation about the one who from Mars and who from Venus and on a mirror it is not necessary to sin once again.

The reason in neurophysiology

The ratio of parts of a human body is far from ideal proportions of "golden ratio". It is also characteristic of our organism and lack of full symmetry. Convincing confirmation to the fact that the left side of the person at most of people is much more photogenic, than right – mirror display of the portrait photo. To the photoshop, at connection of two right and two left halves of a negative two different persons turned out. It is connected with the fact that the left hemisphere is responsible for an emotional and sensual part, as is reflected in features.

As for proportions, the person in general is inclined to exaggerate width and to diminish length of all parts of the body. It was proved in the empirical way at institute of neurology of University College London by neurophysiologists under the leadership of Myutyyu Longo. The volunteers who participated in an experiment on an eye estimation research estimated the fingers on the projection screen as shorter concerning their true size (and the further the finger lags behind big, the mistake in perception of its length was more evident). Thickness of hands on a projection appeared more, than is actually, on 2/3.

It is obvious that authentically the person is not able to estimate the true shape (not to mention appeal). And it concerns not only specular reflection, but also the photo or the video image.

According to some information, at least for 20% what we are seen by other people differs from our self-assessment. The self-portrait can be a classical example. For example, the aloof face of Vrubel or always the laughing Rembrandt, obviously differ from the portraits written from these artists by their colleagues.

In the conclusion it is very appropriate to cite the remarkable book Colin Makkalow "The Thorn Birds": "Any person on light, whether it be the man or the woman, does not see himself in a mirror such what it actually". But it is already philosophical beginnings: I in front of the mirror, but I not in it; the person is not reflected, and looks in the reflection.

Author: «MirrorInfo» Dream Team


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