Wasn't there a study a while back about how our brains pick up on tiny cuts? I read that even quick edits can make something feel less true, even if you don't know why. It makes total sense that a single shot feels more honest. You're right, it stops feeling like a performance. That's probably why so many documentary makers swear by it now.

My buddy had a similar thing happen with his D&D group. He was making custom character portraits for everyone using a free generator. Every time he tried to get a new pose for the elf ranger, she looked like a totally different person. He finally caved and used a paid tool with a style lock feature. It cost him maybe fifteen bucks, but the look on his players' faces when they saw their characters stay the same was worth it. Sometimes the free stuff just can't do the specific job you need done.