The Effect of Mirrors on Women's Self-Esteem

The phenomenon of mirror fasting, in which abstaining from mirror use is claimed to increase self esteem, has recently been highlighted by the media. However, these claims remained unsupported by valid research. This study investigated this concept with the use of mirror exposure and self esteem measurements on female participants in order to determine whether it will be supported by research. In one of the conditions, the mirror was presented to the participant for 3 minutes, prior to answering self esteem questions. In the other condition, the participant was placed in a cubicle without a mirror for the duration of 3 minutes, before answering the same questions. A within-subjects design was employed for this so participants took part in both the conditions. It was hypothesised that the presence of a mirror would lower the individuals self esteem. The results, however, showed that mirrors alone do not appear to affect women's self esteem. Explanations for these findings are discussed alongside possible future research and practical applications.bsc_Psyunpub1351_ethesesunpu