Instagrammers spend more than 5 hours a week (48 minutes a day) taking selfies. Usually, 7 selfies are being taken for each “perfect shot” they upload to social media sites.
Annukka Lindell, a professor of neuropsychology at La Trobe University in Melbourne, found that most people who take selfies prefer to show the left side in photos.
She analyzed 2000 Instagram selfies to understand why we perceive this side of the face as more pleasant. We also love taking selfies and are curious as to why our left side can be our best side.
We Prefer Our Left Side In Regular And Mirror Selfies
The researcher found that people also prefer to show the left side when taking selfies in the mirror. When a person taking selfies poses in front of a mirror and takes a photo of their reflection, they usually show their right cheek.
As the mirror is reversed left and right, a right cheek preference for mirror selfies means that the person posed with the left cheek in front of the mirror.
Artists Usually Paint Portraits That Show Peoples’ Left Profile
Painted portraits of other people show the same asymmetric bias: people favor the left cheek. This researcher believes that it may reflect a person’s unconscious desire to show their more attractive left cheek.
Our Left Cheek Shows More Emotions
Research suggests that the left side of the face is more emotionally expressive. This can be explained by the way feelings are processed in the brain.
The right side of the brain that controls the muscles on the left side of the body is the one that dominates the emotions.
That is why people intuitively show the left cheek when asked to pose for an exciting photo, and the right cheek when posing for a photo that hides their feelings.
How often do you take selfies? Did you notice that your left side looks better in photos?
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