What Happens When Your Mirror Reveals a Sadness Even You Can’t See?

Ever catch yourself in the mirror, grinning like you’re auditioning for a toothpaste commercial, only to realize your reflection didn’t get the memo? Oh, the betrayal! It’s that odd, split-second moment when you suddenly wonder if your own face knows something your brain doesn’t . When you see a supposedly happy face beaming back sadness, is it time for a refund on that positive self-talk, or maybe just a new mirror? Personally, the idea of needing to check my mental health based on glass and all its judgmental honesty leaves me equal parts baffled and weirdly amused . Trust the universe to add insult to injury by suggesting—through science, no less—that walking past a shop window could be its own emotional roller coaster . Stanford researchers—God love them—are now suggesting that if your smile hits a speed bump in reflective surfaces, you might just be their next case study . Not only that—if you’re trailed by a cartoonish rain cloud? Uh, run for cover. Intrigued or spooked? Either way, it’s all right here—<a href="https://theonion.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DepressedReflection-NIB-IHA-GRcopy.jpg”>LEARN MORE.

STANFORD, CA—In a breakthrough shedding crucial light on the commonly misunderstood mental health affliction, a new study by researchers at Stanford University revealed Wednesday that depression was most common among individuals who look into the mirror smiling only for their reflection to be sad. “Across all demographics, we’ve seen a strong correlation between severe depression and those whose smiley faces end up becoming frowny faces in a reflective surface,” said head researcher Jean Frances, adding that the depressive mood disorder was most commonly seen among those who walk past a shop window, seemingly in a good mood, before catching a glimpse of the unhappy face staring back at them in the glass’s reflection. “Our research indicates that those with unhappy, downcast, or glum expressions in the mirror are 60% more likely to commit suicide than those with smiles.” At press time, Frances concluded by warning that the likelihood of suicide jumps to 80% if an individual is also being followed around by a miniature rain cloud above their head.