Why Your Nose May Look Different in Selfies

I've become that person who has refined her most photogenic selfie angle so meticulously that she prefers self-taken smartphone photos over pictures taken by other people from beyond arm's length. However, that may be an unusual preference, considering a new study that breaks down how much taking a selfie can distort our perception of our noses.

A team of scientists in the Department of Otolaryngology at Rutgers Medical School and the Department of Computer Science at Stanford University submitted a research letter to the The Facial Plastic Surgery edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in which they claim taking selfies could warp the way in which we see our own noses. "Despite the ease with which selfies are taken, the short distance from the camera causes a distortion of the face owing to projection, most notably an increase in nasal dimensions," they wrote.

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The researchers were motivated by a recent survey by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, which showed 42 percent of surgeons reported patients are seeking cosmetic procedures for improved selfies. Following the study, the Rutgers Medical School team presented a mathematical model to explain the distorting effects of selfies and show the perceived increase in nose size in selfies versus photos taken from longer distances.

"We modeled the face as a collection of parallel planes that are perpendicular to the main camera axis and calculated nasal breadth to bizygomatic [cheekbone] breadth perceived ratio changes according to the distance from the camera to those planes," the scientists explain. They used the average nose, cheekbone, and head measurements from a random sample of racially diverse participants throughout the U.S. to determine the perceived difference in nose size — in males and females — at a selfie distance of 12 inches. A non-selfie was also taken from five feet away to compare to as a real-world ratio.

"Predictably, an image taken at five feet, a standard portrait distance, results in essentially no difference in perceived size," compared to real-world ratios, said the researchers. "When taken at 12 inches away and keeping the bizygomatic breadth constant, selfies increase nasal size by 30 percent in males and 29 percent in females." Meaning selfies almost inevitably make our noses look bigger than they really are by about 30 percent. That said, there's nothing wrong with having a larger nose. It's the way in which we perceive the size of our noses that could have an impact on our self-image.

"We found that photographs taken at shorter distances will increase the perceived ratio of nasal breadth to bizygomatic [cheekbone] breadth," they said. "Importantly, this distortion does not accurately reflect the three-dimensional appearance of the nose."

The researchers want to continue to deeply explore this effect on perception from different vertical and horizontal camera angles. Furthermore, they're interested in how that perception impacts a desire to change one's facial features. "Further studies are necessary to determine whether patients who take frequent selfies are less satisfied with their clinical outcomes and if this distortion informs future medical decisions." So, until then, keep on snappin'.

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