What Does Looking in the Mirror Do?

Gazing into a mirror makes it possible to face your emotions and the reactions that accompany them. It also helps you learn to counter self-judgment with appreciation, compassion, and love. There's more to you than the way you look.

What happens when you look in a mirror?

In normal observers, gazing at one's own face in the mirror for a few minutes, at a low illumination level, produces the apparition of strange faces. Observers see distortions of their own faces, but they often see hallucinations like monsters, archetypical faces, faces of relatives and deceased, and animals.

What is the purpose of looking in the mirror?

A quick glance in the mirror reaffirms our sense of self. Mirrors help us regulate our emotions and sync up with ourselves and others. Mirrors simulate face-to-face contact with others. When we are in face-to-face interactions, we get feedback on what they are experiencing internally from others' reactions to us.