Buzz
One of the best ways to prove your bravery during a sleepover was to step into a dimly lit room (usually a bathroom), gaze into the mirror, and chant “Bloody Mary” a certain number of times (three is common, though some say 13). The legend tells of a woman who would appear and scratch your face off—or even kill you. Different variations of this ritual exist globally; in some versions, the mysterious woman is known as Mary Worth or Kathy, while in others, the devil himself shows up.
Naturally, no ghosts or demons ever appeared, but that didn’t stop you from dashing out of the bathroom, convinced you saw a bloody face staring back. Even as adults, we sometimes experience similar sensations, believing we’ve seen something strange in the mirror while getting ready or brushing our teeth, despite knowing rationally that nothing is there.
But there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for these spooky occurrences. The longer you focus on a mirror, the more likely you are to perceive things that aren’t there—even without the expectation of a frightful apparition. This happens due to the Troxler effect. If you stare at an object for too long, your brain begins to adapt to the unchanging image. This results in your neurons cancelling out the stimulus, making the image look blurry, faded, or distorted until you blink or look around.
Similarly, if you stare into your own eyes in front of a mirror, your entire face will begin to appear odd if you continue gazing long enough. You can test this optical illusion yourself—no mirror necessary.
Fix your gaze on the plus sign in the center of the image below for about seven or eight seconds:
Bautsch, Wikimedia Commons // CC0 1.0Did the vibrant blotches fade to gray? This is just one of the many ways your brain can deceive you and warp your perception. In fact, it serves as an essential coping mechanism. As Live Science noted, “If you couldn’t ignore the constant hum of your computer monitor, the persistent scent of your own body odor, or the nose jutting out in front of your face, you’d never be able to focus on the important things—like whether your boss is standing right behind you.”
Another aspect of this phenomenon is the recently observed “strange face in the mirror” illusion. In 2010, Italian psychologist Giovanni Caputo conducted an experiment where participants were asked to look at their reflection in a dimly lit room for 10 minutes. Afterward, they were asked to report what they saw. Of the 50 participants, 66 percent claimed to see “huge deformations” of their face, and 48 percent saw “fantastical and monstrous beings.” Some even described seeing the face of a parent (including some who were deceased), an animal, or the face of an elderly woman or child.
Humans have a remarkable tendency to see faces in everyday objects—from clouds to trees to pieces of toast—so it’s no surprise that dim lighting and optical illusions might lead people to perceive another face. Additionally, when an image is distorted, the brain fills in the blanks based on past experiences and expectations, which is why deceased relatives may appear.
Interestingly, this effect “can also be achieved during direct eye contact between two people,” Caputo explains to Mytour. In fact, this “inter-subjective gazing” led to an even greater number of “strange faces” reported by test subjects, according to another experiment conducted by Caputo in 2013.
So, while we’ve ruled out the existence of mirror monsters, what about Bloody Mary? The origin of this particular mirror ritual seems linked to “Bloody” Mary I, who reigned as queen of England in the 16th century, but folklorists remain skeptical.
The fact that the figure goes by multiple names—such as Mary Worth, Mary Worthington, Mary Lou, etc.—argues against a real historical person as the inspiration. Some psychoanalysts suggest the game may be connected to young girls and the onset of menstruation. Others have pointed to earlier versions of the game, including a Robert Burns poem, where he describes a tradition in which “if you [t]ake a candle, and go alone to a looking glass; eat an apple before it; and some traditions say, you should comb your hair all the time,” you will see the face of your future spouse over your shoulder (some psychoanalysts have even speculated on the significance of the homophone Mary/marry). But as far as we know, no one has ever materialized in a mirror to reveal the true identity of Bloody Mary.
