Mirror Gazing Research Articles

Visual perception during mirror gazing at one's own face in schizophrenia

BackgroundIn normal observers gazing at one's own face in the mirror for some minutes, at a low illumination level, triggers the perception of strange faces, a new perceptual illusion that has been named ‘strange-face in the mirror’. Subjects see distortions of their own faces, but often they see monsters, archetypical faces, faces of dead relatives, and of animals. MethodsWe designed this study to primarily compare strange-face apparitions in response to mirror gazing in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. The study included 16 patients with schizophrenia and 21 healthy controls. In this paper we administered a 7 minute mirror gazing test (MGT). Before the mirror gazing session, all subjects underwent assessment with the Cardiff Anomalous Perception Scale (CAPS). When the 7minute MGT ended, the experimenter assessed patients and controls with a specifically designed questionnaire and interviewed them, asking them to describe strange-face perceptions. ResultsApparitions of strange-faces in the mirror were significantly more intense in schizophrenic patients than in controls. All the following variables were higher in patients than in healthy controls: frequency (p<.005) and cumulative duration of apparitions (p<.009), number and types of strange-faces (p<.002), self-evaluation scores on Likert-type scales of apparition strength (p<.03) and of reality of apparitions (p<.001). In schizophrenic patients, these Likert-type scales showed correlations (p<.05) with CAPS total scores. ConclusionsThese results suggest that the increase of strange-face apparitions in schizophrenia can be produced by ego dysfunction, by body dysmorphic disorder and by misattribution of self-agency. MGT may help in completing the standard assessment of patients with schizophrenia, independently of hallucinatory psychopathology.

Mirror gazing in body dysmorphic disorder and healthy controls: Effects of duration of gazing

Cognitive-behavioural models of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) suggest that mirrors can act as a trigger for individuals with BDD, resulting in a specific mode of cognitive processing, characterised by an increase in self-focussed attention and associated distress. The aim of the current study was to investigate these factors experimentally by exposing participants with BDD (n=25) and without BDD (n=25) to a mirror in a controlled setting. An additional aim was to ascertain the role of duration of mirror gazing in the maintenance of distress and self-consciousness by manipulating the length of gazing (short check vs. long gazing). Findings demonstrated that contrary to what was predicted, not only participants with BDD, but also those without BDD experienced an increase in distress and self-focused attention upon exposure to the mirror. In addition, people without BDD, unlike those with BDD, experienced more distress when looking in the mirror for a long period of time as opposed to a short period of time. This lends some support to the idea that, for people with BDD, gazing in a mirror, regardless of duration, might act as an immediate trigger for an abnormal mode of processing and associated distress, and that this association has developed from past excessive mirror gazing. Further theoretical implications of these findings, as well as subsidiary research questions relating to additional cognitive factors are discussed.

Apparitional Experiences of New Faces and Dissociation of Self-Identity during Mirror Gazing

Apparitional experiences during mirror gazing were studied. Under low levels of illumination, individuals gazed at their own reflected faces in a mirror for a duration of 10 min. Face illumination was relatively uniform, via a nonvisible light source. After about a minute of mirror gazing, individuals reported perceiving strange faces--archetypical and often unknown, human or animal, living or departed parents with traits changed, and fantastical monstrous beings--instead of their own faces in the mirror. During these apparitions, the observers reported feeling that a strange person was watching them from within or beyond the mirror, while the observer maintained consciousness of himself looking at the strange "other." Three psychophysical experiments were conducted on 42 naive normal individuals. At an illumination of the face around 0.8 lux, the mean frequency of apparitions was 1.8 min x (-1) and mean duration was 7 sec. per apparition. At higher illumination, the frequency of apparitional experiences decreased while the duration of mirror gazing needed for the phenomenon to occur increased. This effect may be termed "conscious dissociation of self-identity" to distinguish it from pathological unconscious dissociative identity disorder.

Strange-Face-in-the-Mirror Illusion

I describe a visual illusion which occurs when an observer sees his/her image reflected in a mirror in a dimly lit room. This illusion can be easily experienced and replicated as the details of the setting (in particular the room illumination) are not critical. These observations were made in a quiet room dimly lit by a 25 W incandescent light. The lamp was placed on the floor behind the observer so that it was not visible either directly or in the mirror. A relatively large mirror (0.5 mT0.5 m) was placed about 0.4 m in front of the observer. Luminance of the reflected face image within the mirror was about 0.2 cd m(-2) and this level allowed detailed perception of fine face traits but attenuated colour perception. The illusion occurred even at higher levels of illumination of observer's face (from 0.2 to 1.6 cd m(-2)). The task of the observer was to gaze at his/her reflected face within the mirror. Usually, after less than a minute, the observer began to perceive the strange-face illusion. Phenomenological descriptions were made by fifty naive individuals (age range 21 ^ 29 years; mean 23 years; SD 2.1 years). At the end of a 10 min session of mirror gazing, the participant was asked to write what he or she saw in the mirror. The descriptions differed greatly across individuals and included: (a) huge deformations of one's own face (reported by 66% of the fifty participants); (b) a parent's face with traits changed (18%), of whom 8% were still alive and 10% were deceased; (c) an unknown person (28%); (d) an archetypal face, such as that of an old woman, a child, or a portrait of an ancestor (28%); (e) an animal face such as that of a cat, pig, or lion (18%); (f) fantastical and monstrous beings (48%). Language: en

Automatic and Strategic Measures as Predictors of Mirror Gazing Among Individuals With Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptoms

The current study tests cognitive-behavioral models of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) by examining the relationship between cognitive biases and correlates of mirror gazing. To provide a more comprehensive picture, we investigated both relatively strategic (i.e., available for conscious introspection) and automatic (i.e., outside conscious control) measures of cognitive biases in a sample with either high (n = 32) or low (n = 31) BDD symptoms. Specifically, we examined the extent that (1) explicit interpretations tied to appearance, as well as (2) automatic associations and (3) strategic evaluations of the importance of attractiveness predict anxiety and avoidance associated with mirror gazing. Results indicated that interpretations tied to appearance uniquely predicted self-reported desire to avoid, whereas strategic evaluations of appearance uniquely predicted peak anxiety associated with mirror gazing, and automatic appearance associations uniquely predicted behavioral avoidance. These results offer considerable support for cognitive models of BDD, and suggest a dissociation between automatic and strategic measures.

Mirror gazing increases attractiveness in satisfied, but not in dissatisfied women: A model for body dysmorphic disorder?

Body dysmorphic disorder is a severe disturbance in which the person is preoccupied with an imagined defect in appearance. It is unclear what causes and what maintains BDD, although it is assumed that patients are characterized by an increased self-focused attention. Since patients spend a lot of time examining their ‘defect’ in reflecting surfaces, it might well be that mirror gazing itself is an important maintaining factor for BDD, as it may lead to a loss of sense of proportions. If so, normal individuals' body evaluations are expected to decrease likewise after mirror exposure. In the present study, 50 female students watched both their own face in the mirror and a photograph of a neutral female face for 3.5 min. Before and after gazing, they rated the attractiveness of the faces. Results indicate that mirror exposure did not lead to decreased attractiveness in normal participants. However, when participants were divided into high and low satisfaction about appearance, highly satisfied individuals' evaluations of their own face improved, whereas low satisfied individuals' evaluations tended to decrease. For the other face, only the low satisfied individuals showed increased attractiveness scores at post-test. The results are explained by selective visual attention and are in line with recent findings in eating disordered women.

Cognitive-behavioral assessment of body image disturbances.

The construct of body image is multidimensional in nature and multidisciplinary in scope. The purpose of this review is to help clinicians navigate the basic theoretical and practical considerations associated with body image assessment. Common pitfalls reflect methodological problems and conceptual confusion surrounding the subjectivity, heterogeneity, lability, and complexity of the body image construct. By highlighting these core concepts, we provide a framework for conducting a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral assessment to inform case formulation and treatment planning. The strength and utility of a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) model lies in its broad applicability and ability to identify the proximal factors that precipitate and maintain body image concerns, such as distorted patterns of thinking and maladaptive behavior (e.g., body checking, mirror gazing, avoidance, social comparison, reassurance seeking). Although the evidence base is still evolving, the basic tenets of a CBT approach appear to transcend disciplines and specialties. The article concludes by providing an example of self-monitoring, which is a cornerstone of CBT assessment and treatment, and referencing the steps of an established CBT manualized treatment program.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the ugliest of them all? The psychopathology of mirror gazing in body dysmorphic disorder

Patients with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) may spend many hours in front of a mirror but little is known about the psychopathology or the factors that maintain the behaviour. A self-report mirror gazing questionnaire was used to elicit beliefs and behaviours in front of a mirror. Two groups were compared, which consisted of 55 controls and 52 BDD patients. Results: Prior to gazing, BDD patients are driven by the hope that they will look different; the desire to know exactly how they look; a belief that they will feel worse if they resist gazing and the desire to camouflage themselves. They were more likely to focus their attention on an internal impression or feeling (rather than their external reflection in the mirror) and on specific parts of their appearance. They were also more likely to practise showing the best face to pull in public or to use “mental cosmetic surgery” to change their body image than controls. BDD patients invariably felt worse after mirror gazing and were more likely to use ambiguous surfaces such as the backs of CDs or cutlery for a reflection. Conclusion: Mirror gazing in BDD consists of a series of complex safety behaviours. It does not follow a simple model of anxiety reduction that occurs in the compulsive checking of obsessive–compulsive disorder. The implications for treatment are discussed.

“1 in 4”

In just 120 seconds this film both shocks and challenges the viewer to examine their attitudes to those people who suffer from mental health problems. The setting is austere, a guy snorting cocaine from a photograph of his wife and baby, an underweight girl lacing her corset while mirror gazing, a

Physical attractiveness, self-awareness, and mirror-gazing behavior

In a field study, 86 students (37 males and 49 females) were observed as they walked past a section of reflecting glass that served as a mirror. The amount of time spent by each subject in gazing at his or her own image was recorded. The physical attractiveness of each participant was rated by experimental observers, and subjects filled out a questionnaire that assessed the degree to which they ordinarily engage in self-focused behavior. For both males and females, time spent in mirror gazing was positively correlated with physical attractiveness. Mirror gazing and self-focusing were unrelated, although self-focusing was positively correlated with attractiveness.

Failure to demonstrate self-recognition in gorillas.

Two zoo-reared gorillas were each given nearly 400 h of mirror exposure. Extensive mirror gazing and social behaviors were exhibited, the frequency of which decreased gradually over the study period. Neither animal demonstrated the transition from other-directed to self-directed behavior characteristic of both chimpanzees and orangutans, and no evidence of self-recognition was found using the Gallup marking paradigm. These negative findings, after extensive mirror exposure, suggest that the gorilla may be the only great ape which lacks the conceptual ability necessary for self-recognition.

Experimental study of the creative process by means of hypnoanalytic associations to a painting done in occupational therapy: The magic ring of walter positive

Abstract A series of drawings executed in free association to an uninteresting painting done in occupational therapy is presented. These drawings were secured through the technique of mirror gazing in hypnotic trance, and they provided an unexpectedly rich source of the life history, the traumatic experiences, and also the hopes and expectations of recovery in a patient who was with all other techniques, both conscious and hypnotic, most unproductive. The drawings also demonstrate the dynamic development of the life history and the integrative process by which the patient expects to make and actually has made his recovery.

Ink, Oil and Mirror Gazing Ceremonies in Modern Egypt

The practice of gazing at smooth surfaces or into clear depths to produce visions is one of the most ancient and universal which folk-lore has brought to light. It appears to explain a great variety of practices, and to bring them from the cabinet of merely curious superstitions back to the more rational ground of demonstrable though little understood psychic phenomena. The sober monographs of Andrew Lang in the new Encyclopedia Britannica (vii, 566) and the Hastings' Encyclopedita of Religion amd Ethics (iv, 351), his volume on The Making of Religion, and his preface to Thomas' Crystal Gazing-perhaps the most important single volume on the subject-with Miss GoodrichFreer's historical sketch in the Proceedings of the Society for Psychic Research (v, 486f), can be read with profit by any one contemplating the study of magical texts. From these sources it appears that a certain number of persons-Andrew Lang found many, though the present writer has searched in vain-are able, by gazing at a ball of glass, a polished stone, a glass vessel filled with water, a pool of ink, the surface of standing water out of doors or in a vessel, the large opening of a funnel, a dark picture hanging in the shadow, the palm of the hand, the shining surface of animal viscera, and what not, to perceive visions in the object,1 or to enter seemingly through it into the vision beyond.2