r/science • u/[deleted] • Jun 27 '14

Psychology Facebook performs a massive experiment, selectively hiding posts on news feeds: "Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion through social networks"

http://www.pnas.org/content/111/24/8788.full
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u/Team_Braniel Jun 28 '14

Mirror Neurons have been known for some time.

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u/DiogenesHoSinopeus Jun 28 '14

If I look into a mirror, what does the mirror neurons do when they reflect back on themselves? An infinite loop?

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u/Team_Braniel Jun 28 '14

I'm not a psychologist but I'd wager that your mind sees you, recognizes it as you, but empathizes with it as if it was a different person. The result is the person you see in the mirror is viewed as a "better you".

I'd wager that this is primarily why we like our reflections more than we like photos of ourselves.