Carlos Solis
Neuroscientists are raising the alarm. Beauty standards have always evolved, but in the age of social media they are changing at an astonishing pace. Each new standard pushes an unattainable ideal, leading to comparisons, self-doubt, and feelings of inadequacy. Our brains react painfully to all of this.
Researchers indicate that the brain is inherently programmed to respond to beauty. The sight of an attractive face activates neural pathways tied to reward and social interaction, producing the pleasure chemical dopamine. Dopamine is also released when we meet certain beauty standards. Over time, the brain adapts to these ideals and begins to perceive them as the norm.
The brain’s natural tendency to change, or plasticity, was once an evolutionary advantage. However, the digital world, which constantly alters our perception of beauty, ruthlessly exploits that plasticity, says Laura Elin Pigott, a senior lecturer in neuroscience at London South Bank University.
How Does the Brain Become an Aesthete?
While we are born with a basic sensitivity to symmetry and other aesthetic features that the brain associates with health and good genetics, our sense of beauty is highly plastic. Neuroscientists say what we find attractive is shaped by what we constantly see and learn to appreciate.
This adaptation is driven by the brain’s reward and learning systems, particularly two areas known as the nucleus accumbens and the orbitofrontal cortex. These areas continuously update their templates for what the brain considers rewarding.
Over time, persistent exposure to certain beauty ideals, such as flawless faces, can alter our perception of what is normal or attractive. Psychologists call this the mere exposure effect: the more we see something, the more likely we are to like it.
For instance, authors of one study found that participants rated faces as more attractive after seeing them multiple times. The participants’ brains confirmed this change: with repetition, the areas responsible for reward and face recognition became more active, and the electrical signals related to attention and emotion strengthened.
In other words, the brain literally learned to consider those faces more beautiful. These findings help explain why society quickly adapts to new beauty standards.
Ideals and Idols
Thus, our standards of attractiveness can easily become distorted. When our social feeds are filled with idealized, edited images, our reward system begins to favor those images.
But the most dramatic effect is not just a shifted preference. Researchers found that people shown digitally retouched faces subsequently felt dissatisfied with their own appearance.
According to Laura Elin Pigott, body dissatisfaction and anxiety about appearance are particularly common among teenage girls. In response to a distorted perception of reality, many become hooked on beauty filters.
The pressure of constantly changing beauty ideals has serious consequences for mental health, including low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. Dissatisfaction with oneself can escalate into chronic distress and lead to social isolation.
Other consequences include anorexia nervosa, harmful dieting, steroid use, and compulsive grooming. These effects can also harm professional confidence and career success.
How to Help Victims of Ideals?
By understanding how our brain reacts to beauty and how the environment can influence it, we can take control and improve our self-esteem, says Dr. Pigott.
Again, this is possible thanks to the brain’s plasticity. If repeated exposure to idealized images can condition us to prefer them, then repeated exposure to diverse, realistic images can rewire those same neural connections in a healthier direction.
Filling social media with images and information about different body types, ages, and skin tones broadens the brain’s sense of what is considered beautiful and helps counteract algorithm-driven ideals.
Researchers have shown that simple actions, such as unfollowing toxic accounts and taking breaks from social media, protect our brains from manipulation.
Science shows that our brains are sensitive to what popular platforms present to us. Knowing this vulnerability, we need to spot manipulation early and reclaim control over our perception of beauty.
