I'm not as pretty as I think I am
But neither are you.
Researchers have found that people identify images of themselves in a roundup “significantly quicker when their faces were computer enhanced to be 20 percent more attractive.”*
When they were given three images of themselves — “prettier, homelier or left untouched” — most claimed that the enhanced image was their “genuine, unairbrushed face.”
Perhaps we’re wearing rose-tinted glasses that makes everyone look better? Nope. We don’t do mental Photoshopping for strangers:**
When asked to identify images of strangers in subsequent rounds of testing, participants were best at spotting the unenhanced faces.
* How do you measure 20% more attractive??
** I suspect that we think of our loved ones as more attractive than they are, and would be more likely to pick an enhanced photo of them.