Why People Who Photoshop Themselves to Look Perfect on Social Media Are More Unhappy

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A slim waistline, long legs, big eyes, and a seductive all-in-all image— social media is pushing us to look our best when we post photos. And there are applications with their photo editor software ready to help in our search for perfection. Such practice can actually hide more serious things related to mental health and self-perception.

Editing photos has become a trend.

© britneyspears / instagram 

Photoshopping pictures has become popular among celebrities and regular users, before uploading them on social media. This innocent behaviour may seem, at first sights, like a simple desire to improve a look and appear our very best. But in fact, all of this can be hidden behind anxiety, body image issues, and depressive states.

Taking selfies is a mood-lowering activity.

© pixabay.com   © pixabay.com

It turns out to be considered an occurrence to take selfies that can make people feel weak and discouraged. Social media is increasing the emphasis on our appearance and it affects young women in particular. A strong selfie is a great tool for making a good impression on people online.

Young women tend to post more images of themselves than others. It was noticed that ladies could feel anxious and lose their self-confidence after taking up a bunch of selfies. After posting their selfie online, some of them might feel less attractive too.

People want to be perfect.

© kyliejenner / instagram

To use a retouching system, we don’t have to be professionals— apps with an integrated filter will get all the work done for us. Some of them are funny to use and rather fun to use. Some of them turn our facial features completely beyond recognition. And when we put all that energy into looking perfect and desirable in the minds of others, we totally forget our true beauty.

The issue behind enhancing your photos is serious.

© britneyspears / instagram

A feeling of insecurity and frustration with yourself will influence editing images before publishing. There are different types of dissatisfaction— like being overweight or underweight, our body form, eyes, hair, or anything else on our body that we don’t find beautiful enough. And these feelings can be compounded simply by scrolling other’s amazing photos, which were possibly also shopped to perfection.

Under a freshly posted photo with a filter, even tons of likes might not add much joy to those who already feel uncomfortable about themselves. In order to support their ideal image, it can only drive them to post more edited photos, but in fact it only creates more intense anxiety.

There are mental health consequences.

© shutterstock.com

It’s important to mention that social media doesn’t necessarily cause mental and self-esteem problems, but it can drive us closer to them. If you already compare yourself a lot with others and if you’re disappointed with yourself, you might have a propensity on sites like Instagram or Facebook to do so even more. This can only make the situation worse and after all, will not bring you any joy.

It’s always better to focus on yourself rather than on others.

© pexels.com   © depositphotos.com 

Perhaps it’s better to close the app sometimes and try to get distracted by something else. Find a new interesting task or hobby that takes up your free time and distracts you from those videos. Long-term happiness is not created within social media platforms, after all, but with our own hands instead.

How often do you upload on social media? Edit your pictures before you post them too? Would you agree with the points in this article? Let’s think about it in the comments section!

Preview photo credit kyliejenner / instagram

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