For most women but not for all women looking at themselves during virtual meetings has not been accompanied by any changes in how satisfied they are with their appearance, according to new research.
Video chatting services such as Zoom have become a common way to keep in touch with friends, family, and co-workers. But it’s also forced people to sit face-to-face with themselves with a clear view of every pimple, every wrinkle, and every awkward expression they’d otherwise never see.
It’s just weird. But is it worse than that? Have our self-perceptions changed?
First author Gabrielle Pfund, a graduate student in the lab of Patrick Hill, associate professor in the psychological and brain sciences department at Washington University in St. Louis anticipated she might find that people would generally be less satisfied with their appearance the more their video chat usage increased.
Researchers ask if we feel differently about ourselves since video-chat explosion
February 1, 2021 SHARE Are we less satisfied with our appearances since the dawn of the Age of Zoom? Research from Washington University in St. Louis tackles the question. (Image: Shutterstock)
Most people wouldn’t sit in front of a mirror for hours a day, checking themselves out, but the COVID-19 pandemic has found many doing just that.
Video chatting services such as Zoom have become a common way to keep in touch with friends, family and co-workers. But it’s also forced people to sit face-to-face with themselves with a clear view of every pimple, every wrinkle and every awkward expression they’d otherwise never see.