What is the perception drift and what causes it?

Kat O'Connor

Perception drift is becoming more common

There is more pressure to look ‘perfect’ than ever before but is our easy access to cosmetic procedures causing more harm than good?

Getting Botox or filler is slowly becoming as popular as getting your hair done and there’s certainly no harm in it if it makes you feel good.

However, some people are developing addictions to plastic surgery. There are many celebrities who may have ‘perception drift’ but what exactly is it?

Perception drift happens when people become so obsessed with fixing their appearance that they start to lose sight of what they actually look like.

The phenomenon can often happen after people undergo multiple cosmetic surgeries but they remain unhappy with the results.

Their self-perception shifts so much that they continue getting work done but remain unsatisfied because they fail to realise there’s nothing wrong with how they look.

They become transfixed with looking better and fail to accept their appearance for what it is.

Perception drift blurs how they actually view themselves and results in an unhealthy obsession with tweakments and more.

Psychotherapist Kimberlin Shepard told Dazed: “Our minds have a troubling way of catastrophising something when we give it too much attention.

“By continually feeding into the negative narrative about a physical flaw, we train ourselves to believe it and distance ourselves from reality.”

This issue distorts the way we view ourselves and once we fix one flaw, we start to notice dozens more that we want to amend.

Perception drift is a disheartening issue more and more people are dealing with as the pressure to look perfect continues to weigh on our shoulders.

Experts believe therapy can help people who are dealing with perception drift.

There’s no doubt we’re all our own worst enemies but being exposed to celebrities and influencers so much is having a toxic impact on us.

Psychotherapist Bethan O’Riordan recently told Her.ie about the impact social media has on our confidence.

“More people are getting cosmetic work to feel better about themselves because of social media and what some of society expects. But remember, life is about you setting your own expectations for yourself and who you are.

“What’s a realistic way for you to look? To be happy? To sleep well and have great relationships with friends and partners? Life is about having fun and if cosmetic work is part of this and it works for you then great,” she said.