Looking at mirror for long can make you anxious about your body image

London, Feb 8: If you are someone who looks at the mirror for long then there is news for you. Your habit of staring at mirror for long can make you more anxious about your looks, reveals a new study.

As per research findings, the volunteers who starred at their mirror images for up to ten minutes continuously became more and more anxious and depressed in due course of time. Their worries were concerned about their looks despite being satisfied with their looks.

For Scientists the findings were astonishing because they had only expected that starring at mirror could adversely affect those with the medical condition called Body Dysmorphic Disorder – a condition that make its sufferers become more concerned about their looks or shape.

The research revealed that participants in the pink of their health started showing signs of sorrow and anxiety about their own body image when asked to stare at the mirror images several minutes at a time.

"Gazing in a mirror triggers an increase in distress (among BDD patients)," the researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry in London have been quoted as saying in daily Mail.

"Interestingly, healthy participants experienced a similar response to gazing at their reflection," they added.

The study was an effort of psychologists to find to what extent mirrors acts as a trigger for anxiety and stress in patients suffering from BDD.

Presently around 600,000 people in the UK, are affected by this condition that finds manifestation in excessive worry about one or more parts of the body, even if it is completely normal.

The condition, which affects around 600,000 people in the UK, is characterized by excessive worry about one or more parts of the body, even if it appears perfectly normal.

The reasons behind this medical condition are not clear but people with a history of depression often get affected by it. Most of the people wear thick make-up and heavy clothing to wrap supposed flaws and often look for reassurance by looking in the mirror.

In a bid to compare the effect of mirrors among BDD patients the researchers performed this study on volunteers having no worries about their appearance.

The researchers recruited 25 sufferers and 25 'controls' and conducted two tests on them. Half were female.

In the first test, the participants were asked to look at themselves in the mirror for 25 seconds. Before and after this act their bodily satisfaction was assessed using a tailor-made questionnaire.

The second test involved look at themselves for a minimum of ten minutes, after that assessments were made.<

As per expectations, patients with BDD were found increasingly distressed about their appearance and looks; even they saw their reflection for meager 25 seconds. But to researchers surprise, those having no hang-ups also began signs of anxiety and distress when they were left to see their reflections for ten minutes.

Researchers further explained that although everyone loves to glance at himself from time to time, but most healthy people do not generally spend such long periods analyzing their own features.

"People without BDD experienced more distress when looking in a mirror for a long period of time as opposed to a short period," the researchers added.

The journal 'Behaviour Research and Therapy' has published this study.

with inputs from ANI)