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Takaku R, Shobako N, Nakata T. Three years of COVID-19-related school restrictions and mental health of children and adolescents in Japan. Sci Rep 2024; 14:16707. [PMID: 39030262 PMCID: PMC11271618 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67138-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024] Open
Abstract
During the 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese children had to live with strict mitigation measures at school, such as eating school lunches silently and wearing masks during physical exercise classes, even after those mitigation measures have been relaxed worldwide. Excursions and other school events were frequently cancelled, especially in 2020 and 2021. This study conducts a retrospective survey on school experiences to understand how the strict mitigation measures were related to children's mental health and well-being. Results revealed school excursion cancellation to be associated with a higher risk of developing depressive symptoms {odds ratio [OR] 1.543 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.109-2.148]}, and high cancellation rate of other school events to be associated with dissatisfaction in school experience [OR 1.650 (95% CI 1.222-2.228)]. In the subsample analysis, we found that girls and children with no extracurricular activities tended to exhibit depressive symptoms due to the cancellation of school excursions. Overall, the study demonstrated that persistent strict mitigation measures at schools might be a key factor in understanding children's mental health and psychological well-being during a long-lasting pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reo Takaku
- Graduate School of Economics, Hitotsubashi University, 2-1 Naka, Kunitachi, Tokyo, 186-8601, Japan.
| | - Naohisa Shobako
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto, 606-8581, Japan
| | - Taisuke Nakata
- Graduate School of Economics, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8654, Japan
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2
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Moosavi J, Resch A, Lecchi A, Sokolov AN, Fallgatter AJ, Pavlova MA. Reading language of the eyes in female depression. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae253. [PMID: 38990517 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Aberrations in non-verbal social cognition have been reported to coincide with major depressive disorder. Yet little is known about the role of the eyes. To fill this gap, the present study explores whether and, if so, how reading language of the eyes is altered in depression. For this purpose, patients and person-by-person matched typically developing individuals were administered the Emotions in Masked Faces task and Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, modified, both of which contained a comparable amount of visual information available. For achieving group homogeneity, we set a focus on females as major depressive disorder displays a gender-specific profile. The findings show that facial masks selectively affect inferring emotions: recognition of sadness and anger are more heavily compromised in major depressive disorder as compared with typically developing controls, whereas the recognition of fear, happiness, and neutral expressions remains unhindered. Disgust, the forgotten emotion of psychiatry, is the least recognizable emotion in both groups. On the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test patients exhibit lower accuracy on positive expressions than their typically developing peers, but do not differ on negative items. In both depressive and typically developing individuals, the ability to recognize emotions behind a mask and performance on the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test are linked to each other in processing speed, but not recognition accuracy. The outcome provides a blueprint for understanding the complexities of reading language of the eyes within and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Moosavi
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Annika Resch
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alessandro Lecchi
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexander N Sokolov
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner Site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marina A Pavlova
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
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3
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Køster A, Fernandez AV, Andersen LPK. Complicating Objectification in the Medical Encounter: Embodied Experiences in the ICU during COVID-19. THE JOURNAL OF MEDICAL HUMANITIES 2024:10.1007/s10912-024-09860-2. [PMID: 38954288 DOI: 10.1007/s10912-024-09860-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Illness and injury are often accompanied by experiences of bodily objectification. Medical treatments intended to restore the structure or function of the body may amplify these experiences of objectification by recasting the patient's body as a biomedical object-something to be examined, measured, and manipulated. In this article, we contribute to the phenomenology of embodiment in illness and medicine by reexamining the results of a qualitative study of the experiences of nurses and patients isolated in an intensive care unit during the first wave of COVID-19. Drawing upon the phenomenological concept of embodiment-as developed in the work of Edmund Husserl, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Emmanuel Levinas-we reconsider how bodily objectification manifests in complex clinical encounters. We show that, in these settings, objectification is not simply the unilateral act of a clinician objectifying a patient. Rather, both clinicians and patients reported a variety of objectifying experiences influenced by their interactions, the immediate context of the intensive care milieu, and the broader atmosphere of a global pandemic. In light of these findings, we argue that bodily objectification in illness and medicine can often be more complicated than typically presented in the phenomenological literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allan Køster
- The Danish National Center for Grief, Amagerbrogade 150, 2300, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Anthony Vincent Fernandez
- Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Danish Institute for Advanced Study, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Lars Peter Kloster Andersen
- Department of Anesthesia, Zealand University Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Schnitzler T, Korn C, C. Herpertz S, Fuchs T. Emotion recognition in autism spectrum condition during the COVID-19 pandemic. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2024; 28:1690-1702. [PMID: 37882152 PMCID: PMC11191665 DOI: 10.1177/13623613231203306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT In the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing face masks became mandatory to prevent the spread of the virus. However, they restrict the ability to recognize emotions to the upper part of the face. Since individuals with autism spectrum condition often tend to look at the lower half of the face, they may be particularly restricted in emotion recognition by people wearing masks, since they are now forced to look at the upper half of the face. The current study compared the recognition of facially expressed emotions between individuals with and without autism spectrum condition. Each photo was shown in three types, once uncovered, once with face mask, and once with sunglasses. Our results revealed a reduction in accuracy of individuals with autism spectrum condition at recognizing emotions in all three stimulus types and exhibited more difficulties distinguishing anger, fear, pride, and embarrassment. During the emotion recognition task, there was no difference in which facial areas the groups looked at. We did not find evidence that the disadvantages of individuals with autism spectrum condition in emotion recognition were due to looking at different areas of the face.
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Bani M, Russo S, Ardenghi S, Rampoldi G, Wickline V, Nowicki S, Strepparava MG. Behind the mask: What the eyes can't tell: Facial emotion recognition in a sample of Italian health care students. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024; 77:1430-1442. [PMID: 37599379 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231198145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Wearing a facemask remains a pivotal strategy to prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection even after vaccination, but one of the possible costs of this protection is that it may interfere with the ability to read emotion in facial expressions. We explored the extent to which it may be more difficult for participants to read emotions in faces when faces are covered with masks than when they are not, and whether participants' empathy, attachment style, and patient-centred orientation would affect their performance. Medical and nursing students (N = 429) were administered either a masked or unmasked set of 24 adult faces depicting anger, sadness, fear, or happiness. Participants also completed self-report measures of empathy, patient-centredness, and attachment style. As predicted, participants made more errors to the masked than the unmasked faces with the exception of the identification of fear. Of note, when participants missed happiness, they were most likely to see it as sadness, and when they missed anger, they were most likely to see it as happiness. A multiple linear regression analysis showed that more errors identifying emotions in faces was associated with faces being masked as opposed to unmasked, lower scores on the empathy fantasy scale, and higher scores on the fearful attachment style. The findings suggest that wearing facemasks is associated with a variety of negative outcomes that might interfere with the building of positive relationships between health care workers and patients. Those who teach student health care workers would benefit from bringing this finding into their curriculum and training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Bani
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano - Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Selena Russo
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano - Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Ardenghi
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano - Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy
| | - Giulia Rampoldi
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano - Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Virginia Wickline
- Department of Psychology, Georgia Southern University, Savannah, GA, USA
| | - Stephen Nowicki
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Maria Grazia Strepparava
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano - Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy
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Tumino M, Carraro L, Castelli L. The social factors behind the mask: contextual effects on trait impressions from faces wearing a face mask. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2024; 9:43. [PMID: 38935222 PMCID: PMC11211305 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-024-00570-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The presence of face masks can significantly impact processes related to trait impressions from faces. In the present research, we focused on trait impressions from faces either wearing a mask or not by addressing how contextual factors may shape such inferences. In Study 1, we compared trait impressions from faces in a phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in which wearing masks was a normative behavior (T1) with those assessed one year later when wearing masks was far less common (T2). Results at T2 showed a reduced positivity in the trait impressions elicited by faces covered by a mask. In Study 2, it was found that trait impressions from faces were modulated by the background visual context in which the target face was embedded so that faces wearing a mask elicited more positive traits when superimposed on an indoor rather than outdoor visual context. Overall, the present studies indicate that wearing face masks may affect trait impressions from faces, but also that such impressions are highly flexible and can significantly fluctuate across time and space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matilde Tumino
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy.
| | - Luciana Carraro
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - Luigi Castelli
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
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Mastorogianni ME, Konstanti S, Dratsiou I, Bamidis PD. Masked emotions: does children's affective state influence emotion recognition? Front Psychol 2024; 15:1329070. [PMID: 38962230 PMCID: PMC11220387 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1329070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Facial emotion recognition abilities of children have been the focus of attention across various fields, with implications for communication, social interaction, and human behavior. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing a face mask in public became mandatory in many countries, hindering social information perception and emotion recognition. Given the importance of visual communication for children's social-emotional development, concerns have been raised on whether face masks could impair their ability to recognize emotions and thereby possibly impact their social-emotional development. Methods To this extent, a quasiexperimental study was designed with a two-fold objective: firstly, to identify children's accuracy in recognizing basic emotions (anger, happiness, fear, disgust, sadness) and emotional neutrality when presented with faces under two conditions: one with no-masks and another with faces partially covered by various types of masks (medical, nonmedical, surgical, or cloth); secondly, to explore any correlation between children's emotion recognition accuracy and their affective state. Sixty-nine (69) elementary school students aged 6-7 years old from Greece were recruited for this purpose. Following specific requirements of the second phase of the experiment students were assigned to one of three (3) distinct affective condition groups: Group A-Happiness, Group B-Sadness, and Group C-Emotional Neutrality. Image stimuli were drawn from the FACES Dataset, and students' affective state was registered using the self-reporting emotions-registration tool, AffectLecture app. Results The study's findings indicate that children can accurately recognize emotions even with masks, although recognizing disgust is more challenging. Additionally, following both positive and negative affective state priming promoted systematic inaccuracies in emotion recognition. Most significantly, results showed a negative bias for children in negative affective state and a positive bias for those in positive affective state. Discussion Children's affective state significantly influenced their emotion recognition abilities; sad affective states led to lower recognition overall and a bias toward recognizing sad expressions, while happy affective states resulted in a positive bias, improving recognition of happiness, and affecting how emotional neutrality and sadness were actually perceived. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the intriguing dynamics of how face masks affect children's emotion recognition, but also underlines the profound influence of their affective state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Eirini Mastorogianni
- MSc in Learning Technologies-Education Sciences, School of Early Childhood Education, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Styliani Konstanti
- MSc in Learning Technologies-Education Sciences, School of Early Childhood Education, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Ioanna Dratsiou
- Medical Physics and Digital Innovation Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Panagiotis D. Bamidis
- Medical Physics and Digital Innovation Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Thessaloniki, Greece
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Wang W, Li Z, Lin X, Sun YHP, Wang Z, Wang Y. Influence of protective clothing and masks on facial trustworthiness in an investment game: insights from a Chinese population study. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2024; 9:36. [PMID: 38856867 PMCID: PMC11164842 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-024-00565-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Facial features are important sources of information about perceived trustworthiness. Masks and protective clothing diminish the visibility of facial cues by either partially concealing the mouth and nose or covering the entire face. During the pandemic, the use of personal protective equipment affected and redefined who trusts whom in society. This study used the classical investment game of interpersonal trust with Chinese participants to explore the impact of occlusion on interpersonal trust. Faces with moderate initial trustworthiness were occluded by a mask or protective clothing in Experiment 1 and were digitally occluded by a square in Experiment 2, and faces with three levels of initial trustworthiness were occluded by a mask in Experiment 3. Results showed that both undergraduates (Experiment 1a) and non-student adults (Experiment 1b) perceived the faces with protective clothing as more trustworthy than faces wearing standard masks and faces not wearing masks. Faces with the top halves showing were perceived as trustworthy as full faces, while faces with the bottom halves showing were perceived as less trustworthy. The effect of masks is weak and complex. Masks reduced participants' trust in faces with high initial trustworthiness, had no effect on faces with low and moderate initial trustworthiness, and only slightly increased the trust of undergraduates in faces with moderate initial trustworthiness. Our findings indicate that the lack of information caused by occlusion and the social significance associated with occlusion collectively affect people's trust behavior in Chinese society. We believe the findings of this study will be useful in elucidating the effects of personal protective equipment usage on perceptions of trustworthiness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiping Wang
- Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, , Beijing, 100101, China.
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Zhifan Li
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xin Lin
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yu-Hao P Sun
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhe Wang
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yong Wang
- Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, , Beijing, 100101, China.
- The Research Center for Psychological Education, University of International Relations, Beijing, China.
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Jiang F, Ng ML, Song Y, Chen Y. Effect of Face Masks on Voice Quality Associated with Young and Older Chinese Adult Speakers. J Voice 2024:S0892-1997(24)00144-9. [PMID: 38834373 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2024.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Face masks have become important after the pandemic, but the change in voice when wearing a face mask is still unclear. The study investigated the effect of face masks on the acoustic and perceptual characteristics of voice quality associated with young and older Chinese adults. METHODS Voice samples of the sustained vowel /a/ and continuous speech produced by 44 older and 61 young adults with and without an ASTM level-3 surgical face mask were recorded and analyzed. Perceptual and acoustic parameters including mean fundamental frequency (F0) and intensity, perturbation measures (jitter and shimmer), harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR), smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPs), and long-term average spectrum (LTAS) measures were obtained and compared. RESULTS When comparing masked to unmasked voices, for both male and female speakers, F0 and intensity showed no significant changes, except for F0 of continuous speech, which increased significantly. Meanwhile, perturbation measures such as jitter and shimmer were reduced, while HNR and CPPs increased. In addition, LTAS measures included low-frequency mean spectral energy (MSE), high-frequency MSE, and spectral tilt (ST), which were different. For perceptual measures, the overall grade of dysphonia, and roughness were reduced, except for the breathiness among older male speakers, while the other vocal qualities were not changed. Between young and older speakers, significant differences in shimmer, CPPs, and perceived breathiness among male speakers, and low-frequency MSE among female speakers were found. CONCLUSION Wearing a surgical mask appeared to change the perceived voice quality. This is supported by the change in perturbation and LTAS measures, and HNR and CPPs values. In addition, some differences between young and older adults were observed. Oral Communication effectiveness may be affected when wearing surgical masks due to changes in voice quality. Additionally, clinicians need to exercise hightened caution in evaluating the voice quality of clients when wearing face masks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feiyun Jiang
- Duquesne-China Health Institute, John G. Rangos, Sr. School of Health Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; School of Rehabilitation, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
| | - Manwa L Ng
- Duquesne-China Health Institute, John G. Rangos, Sr. School of Health Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Speech Science Laboratory, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Yuting Song
- Duquesne-China Health Institute, John G. Rangos, Sr. School of Health Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; School of Rehabilitation, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
| | - Yang Chen
- Duquesne-China Health Institute, John G. Rangos, Sr. School of Health Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Almeida-Junior ERD, Brito-de-Sousa JP, Silva EFD, Ribas RM. An another perspective of face masks in emotion recognition: Comment on Shepherd and Rippon (2022). Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024; 77:1137-1139. [PMID: 37646397 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231195325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
In a recent article, Shepherd and Rippon (2022) investigated the impact of widespread face mask use on emotion recognition. They found that mask-wearing led to reduced accuracy in identifying emotions such as fear, sadness, and disgust when participants were exposed to brief facial stimuli. Their study highlights the significance of masks in concealing facial areas crucial for non-verbal communication, potentially affecting emotional well-being. Here in this comment, we have argued that despite concerns about impaired emotional recognition and social interactions, balancing COVID-19 protection and effective communication is essential. We stress the importance of adhering to mask guidelines while enhancing alternative cues and communication strategies. In public health emergencies like COVID-19, such research should acknowledge the whole complexity and prioritize safety aspects in a manner that prevents controversial issues.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joaquim Pedro Brito-de-Sousa
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | | | - Rosineide Marques Ribas
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
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11
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Oldmeadow JA, Gogan T. Masks wearing off: Changing effects of face masks on trustworthiness over time. Perception 2024; 53:343-355. [PMID: 38454736 PMCID: PMC11088216 DOI: 10.1177/03010066241237430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
During the global COVID-19 pandemic, the wearing of face masks became a common practice, raising questions about how masks affect perceptions of and behaviour towards others. Numerous studies have explored the impact of face masks on perceptions of trustworthiness, but results have been mixed and it remains unclear whether masks influence perceptions via their social meaning or their effects on facial appearance. In this study, Australian participants (N = 363) rated a series of faces which were either masked, unmasked, or occluded by a non-mask object (computer) in terms of perceived trustworthiness in 2020, 2022, or 2023. The apparent trustworthiness of unmasked faces remained stable across years, but masked faces were rated significantly more trustworthy in 2020 compared to 2022 and 2023. Furthermore, ratings of masked faces, but not unmasked faces, were correlated with participants' attitudes towards wearing masks. Faces occluded by a non-mask object were perceived to be less trustworthy than masked faces. Together, results strongly suggest the increase in perceived trustworthiness of masked faces reported in numerous studies conducted during COVID-19 were driven by positive social meanings around mask wearing rather than by their effect on facial appearance.
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Pinto R, Albuquerque PB. The impact of the use of masks on trait judgments and face recognition. Mem Cognit 2024; 52:725-734. [PMID: 38012515 PMCID: PMC11111489 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-023-01495-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Although effective in reducing virus transmission, face masks might compromise face recognition and trait judgments. With this study, we aimed to observe the influence of masks on face recognition and trait judgments-more specifically, in trustworthiness, dominance, and distinctiveness judgments. Also, we wanted to observe the possible influence of trait judgments on facial recognition for masked and unmasked faces, which has never been done before. For that, we conducted an online study where 140 participants observed and made trait judgments of masked and unmasked faces in a within-subjects design. After a distractive task, participants performed a recognition memory test. As expected, we observed a better recognition of faces shown without a mask during the study phase, which allowed the holistic processing of the faces. The worst performance was found for faces encoded with a mask but tested without it, occurring simultaneity disruption in holistic face processing and the violation of the encoding specificity principle. Regarding the trait judgments, unmasked faces were considered more distinctive, and masked faces were considered more trustworthy. More interestingly, we can conclude that facial distinctiveness predicts face recognition, regardless of mask use. In contrast, dominance judgments only predicted face recognition when faces were presented without a mask. When faces were exposed with masks, trustworthiness overrides dominance, becoming more critical to recognizing faces. We can interpret these results from an evolutionary perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Pinto
- School of Psychology, University of Minho (Portugal), Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal.
| | - Pedro B Albuquerque
- School of Psychology, University of Minho (Portugal), Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
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13
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Fuchs M, Kersting A, Suslow T, Bodenschatz CM. Recognizing and Looking at Masked Emotional Faces in Alexithymia. Behav Sci (Basel) 2024; 14:343. [PMID: 38667139 PMCID: PMC11047507 DOI: 10.3390/bs14040343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Alexithymia is a clinically relevant personality construct characterized by difficulties identifying and communicating one's emotions and externally oriented thinking. Alexithymia has been found to be related to poor emotion decoding and diminished attention to the eyes. The present eye tracking study investigated whether high levels of alexithymia are related to impairments in recognizing emotions in masked faces and reduced attentional preference for the eyes. An emotion recognition task with happy, fearful, disgusted, and neutral faces with face masks was administered to high-alexithymic and non-alexithymic individuals. Hit rates, latencies of correct responses, and fixation duration on eyes and face mask were analyzed as a function of group and sex. Alexithymia had no effects on accuracy and speed of emotion recognition. However, alexithymic men showed less attentional preference for the eyes relative to the mask than non-alexithymic men, which was due to their increased attention to face masks. No fixation duration differences were observed between alexithymic and non-alexithymic women. Our data indicate that high levels of alexithymia might not have adverse effects on the efficiency of emotion recognition from faces wearing masks. Future research on gaze behavior during facial emotion recognition in high alexithymia should consider sex as a moderating variable.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Thomas Suslow
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Center, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (M.F.); (A.K.); (C.M.B.)
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14
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Liang Y, Peng Q, Yang Y, Wang J, Liu T. Does wearing a mask promote consumer uniqueness seeking? Front Psychol 2024; 15:1371820. [PMID: 38689727 PMCID: PMC11058847 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1371820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
As a motivational factor, uniqueness drives individuals to seek and choose unique goods or experiences. The act of wearing masks obscures individuals' facial features and influences their desire for uniqueness. This study aims to explore how wearing masks promotes individual uniqueness- seeking behavior. Three experiments were performed using various product categories (Starbucks coffee cups, sweatshirts, suitcases, and baseball caps) and sample types (college student and adult samples). Experiment results show that wearing masks obscures individuals' facial features and weakens their self- perceived uniqueness, thereby increasing their willingness to actively purchase unique products. This study is the first to examine the effect of wearing masks on individuals' choice of unique products. Practically, the results suggest that customized products can compensate for the lack of self-perceived uniqueness brought about by facial occlusion, thus providing valuable guidance for companies and retailers that offer customized services in formulating and designing marketing strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiyuan Liang
- Center for Global Affairs, School of Professional Studies, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Qiushui Peng
- School of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuqing Yang
- School of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiayu Wang
- School of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, China
| | - Tao Liu
- School of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, China
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15
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Kisielinski K, Hockertz S, Hirsch O, Korupp S, Klosterhalfen B, Schnepf A, Dyker G. Wearing face masks as a potential source for inhalation and oral uptake of inanimate toxins - A scoping review. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2024; 275:115858. [PMID: 38537476 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND From 2020 to 2023 many people around the world were forced to wear masks for large proportions of the day based on mandates and laws. We aimed to study the potential of face masks for the content and release of inanimate toxins. METHODS A scoping review of 1003 studies was performed (database search in PubMed/MEDLINE, qualitative and quantitative evaluation). RESULTS 24 studies were included (experimental time 17 min to 15 days) evaluating content and/or release in 631 masks (273 surgical, 228 textile and 130 N95 masks). Most studies (63%) showed alarming results with high micro- and nanoplastics (MPs and NPs) release and exceedances could also be evidenced for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), xylene, acrolein, per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), phthalates (including di(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate, DEHP) and for Pb, Cd, Co, Cu, Sb and TiO2. DISCUSSION Of course, masks filter larger dirt and plastic particles and fibers from the air we breathe and have specific indications, but according to our data they also carry risks. Depending on the application, a risk-benefit analysis is necessary. CONCLUSION Undoubtedly, mask mandates during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have been generating an additional source of potentially harmful exposition to toxins with health threatening and carcinogenic properties at population level with almost zero distance to the airways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Kisielinski
- Social Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Clinical Medicine (Surgery), Private Practice, 40212 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Stefan Hockertz
- Toxicology, Pharmacology, Immunology, tpi consult AG, Haldenstr. 1, CH 6340 Baar, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Hirsch
- Department of Psychology, FOM University of Applied Sciences, 57078 Siegen, Germany
| | - Stephan Korupp
- Surgeon, Emergency Medicine, Private Practice, 52070 Aachen, Germany
| | - Bernd Klosterhalfen
- Institute of Pathology, Dueren Hospital, Roonstrasse 30, 52351 Dueren, Germany
| | - Andreas Schnepf
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 18, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Gerald Dyker
- Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany
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16
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Cui Z, Liu Y, Sun X, Shang Z, Xu M. Veiled to Express: Uncovering the Effect of Mask-Wearing on Voice Behavior in the Workplace. Behav Sci (Basel) 2024; 14:309. [PMID: 38667105 PMCID: PMC11047678 DOI: 10.3390/bs14040309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, mask-wearing has become a widespread phenomenon. Even after the pandemic, people continue to maintain the habit of wearing masks in their daily lives. While existing research has explored how mask-wearing can influence wearers' behavior in everyday life, its effects in the workplace have received less attention. Drawing on self-perception theory, this study examined the positive effect of mask-wearing in the workplace on wearers' voice behavior via psychological safety. An online experiment (N = 291) using a within-subject manipulation of wearing masks supported our hypotheses. This study uncovered the positive psychological and behavioral consequences of mask-wearing beyond its benefits in people's health conditions and everyday life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyan Cui
- School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China;
| | - Yangjie Liu
- School of Government, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; (Y.L.); (X.S.)
| | - Xiaoxiao Sun
- School of Government, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; (Y.L.); (X.S.)
| | - Zhe Shang
- School of Government, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; (Y.L.); (X.S.)
| | - Minya Xu
- Guanghua School of Management, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China;
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17
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Ger E, Manfredi M, Osório AAC, Ribeiro CF, Almeida A, Güdel A, Calbi M, Daum MM. Duration of face mask exposure matters: evidence from Swiss and Brazilian kindergartners' ability to recognise emotions. Cogn Emot 2024:1-15. [PMID: 38576358 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2024.2331795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Wearing facial masks became a common practice worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated (1) whether facial masks that cover adult faces affect 4- to 6-year-old children's recognition of emotions in those faces and (2) whether the duration of children's exposure to masks is associated with emotion recognition. We tested children from Switzerland (N = 38) and Brazil (N = 41). Brazil represented longer mask exposure due to a stricter mandate during COVID-19. Children had to choose a face displaying a specific emotion (happy, angry, or sad) when the face wore either no cover, a facial mask, or sunglasses. The longer hours of mask exposure were associated with better emotion recognition. Controlling for the hours of exposure, children were less likely to recognise emotions in partially hideen faces. Moreover, Brazilian children were more accurate in recognising happy faces than Swiss children. Overall, facial masks may negatively impact children's emotion recognition. However, prolonged exposure appears to buffer the lack of facial cues from the nose and mouth. In conclusion, restricting facial cues due to masks may impair kindergarten children's emotion recognition in the short run. However, it may facilitate their broader reading of facial emotional cues in the long run.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ebru Ger
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mirella Manfredi
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ana Alexandra Caldas Osório
- Developmental Disorders Program, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil
- Mackenzie Center for Research in Childhood and Adolescence, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Alessandra Almeida
- Department of Psychology, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Annika Güdel
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marta Calbi
- Department of Philosophy "Piero Martinetti", State University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Moritz M Daum
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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18
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Cox BG, Tuft SE, Morich JR, McLennan CT. Examining listeners' perception of spoken words with different face masks. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024; 77:478-491. [PMID: 37140126 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231175631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic made face masks part of daily life. While masks protect against the virus, it is important to understand the impact masks have on listeners' recognition of spoken words. We examined spoken word recognition under three different mask conditions (no mask; cloth mask; Kn95 mask) and in both easy (low density, high phonotactic probability) and hard (high density, low phonotactic probability) words in a lexical decision task. In Experiment 1, participants heard all words and nonwords under all three mask conditions. In Experiment 2, participants heard each word and nonword only once under one of the mask conditions. The reaction time and accuracy results were consistent between Experiments 1 and 2. The pattern of results was such that the no mask condition produced the fastest and most accurate responses followed by the Kn95 mask condition and the cloth mask condition, respectively. Furthermore, there was a trend towards a speed-accuracy trade-off with Word Type. Easy words produced faster but less accurate responses relative to hard words. The finding that cloth masks had a more detrimental impact on spoken word recognition than Kn95 masks is consistent with previous research, and the current results further demonstrate that this effect extends to individual word recognition tasks with only audio presentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethany G Cox
- Language Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Samantha E Tuft
- Language Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Center for Research and Education, Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jessica R Morich
- Language Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Conor T McLennan
- Language Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA
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19
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Shaw CA, Lee KR, Williams A, Shaw NA, Weeks D, Jackson L, Williams KN. Best practices for communication while wearing facemasks: A scoping review. J Nurs Scholarsh 2024; 56:227-238. [PMID: 37937861 PMCID: PMC10922106 DOI: 10.1111/jnu.12939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Facemasks are an important piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) to mitigate the spread of respiratory illnesses, but they can impede communication between patients and healthcare providers. The purpose of this scoping review is to identify effective communication practices while wearing facemasks. DESIGN Scoping review using a systematic search of articles from the PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase databases. METHODS The PEO (population, exposure, outcome) methodology was selected for this systematic scoping review. The population of interest (P) includes humans of all ages (children, adults, and older adults); the exposure of interest (E) is PPE that covers the mouth (i.e., facemasks); and the outcome of interest (O) is successful or unsuccessful communication practices. The Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals appraisal guidelines were used to determine the level and quality of the research. RESULTS Thirty-nine articles met the inclusion criteria. Seventeen of these were high- or good-quality research studies, and the remaining 22 were non-research articles included with separate analysis as part of the scoping review. The 17 articles encompassed 2656 participants. The highest quality evidence indicated that standard surgical masks have the least impact on speech perception compared to other non-transparent mask types, and that recognizing emotions is less accurate with facemasks, necessitating compensatory actions (i.e., reducing extraneous noise, using a microphone to amplify voice, and employing clear speech). Evidence was contradictory regarding the use of transparent masks. Evidence was of limited quality for other non-verbal and verbal communication strategies. CONCLUSION Awareness of communication challenges is crucial when wearing facemasks. More high-quality studies are needed to evaluate communication techniques when speakers are wearing facemasks. Basic strategies such as selecting an appropriate mask type, reducing extraneous noise, using microphones, verbalizing emotions, and employing clear speech appear to be beneficial. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The findings of this scoping review highlight the importance of considering communication challenges while wearing facemasks in the healthcare settings. The review suggests that selecting an appropriate mask type, reducing extraneous noise, verbalizing emotions, and employing clear speech are some strategies that may be effective in mitigating the impact of facemasks on communication between patients and healthcare providers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarissa A. Shaw
- University of Iowa, College of Nursing, Division of Acute and Critical Care
| | | | | | - Nathan A. Shaw
- University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine
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20
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Ingram GPD, Chuquichambi EG, Jimenez-Leal W, Rosa AOL. In masks we trust: explicit and implicit reactions to masked faces vary by political orientation. BMC Psychol 2024; 12:68. [PMID: 38347648 PMCID: PMC10863087 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-024-01556-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous studies in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic indicated that wearing a medical-style mask affects whether a stranger's face is judged as more trustworthy, socially desirable, or likely to be ill. However, given political controversies around mask use, these effects might vary by political orientation. In a pre-registered online experiment, we measured evaluations of trustworthiness, social desirability and perceived illness in masked and unmasked faces by 1241 British and US participants. We included questions on political orientation, along with the implicit online-VAAST approach/avoid task to test reaction times to masked/unmasked faces. There was a medium-sized effect of masks on trustworthiness and a significant interaction with political orientation, in that conservatives found masked faces less trustworthy than did liberals. Participants were quicker to approach masked than unmasked faces, but conservatives were relatively slower than liberals. The effects on trustworthiness suggest that differential moralization of novel social norms can affect how their adherents are evaluated in terms of their suitability for social interactions. Furthermore, the congruence between implicit and explicit methods implies that such differences can have deep-seated effects on reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon P D Ingram
- Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de los Andes, Carrera 1 # 18A-12, 111711, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Erick G Chuquichambi
- Human Cognition and Evolution (EvoCog) Research Group, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain
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21
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Hysenaj A, Leclère M, Tahirbegolli B, Kuqi D, Isufi A, Prekazi L, Shemsedini N, Maljichi D, Meha R. Accuracy and Speed of Emotion Recognition With Face Masks. EUROPES JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2024; 20:16-24. [PMID: 38487600 PMCID: PMC10936662 DOI: 10.5964/ejop.11789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Wearing face masks is one of the important actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among people around the world. Nevertheless, social interaction is limited via masks, and this impacts the accuracy and speed of emotional perception. In the present study, we assess the impact of mask-wearing on the accuracy and speed of emotion recognition. Fifty people (female n = 39, male n = 11) aged 19-28 participated in the study (M = 21.1 years). We used frontal photos of a Kosova woman who belonged to the same participants' age group, with a grey background. Twelve different pictures were used that showed the emotional states of fear, joy, sadness, anger, neutrality, and disgust, in masked and unmasked conditions. The experiment was conducted in a controlled laboratory setting. Participants were faster for identifying emotions like joy (1.507 ms) and neutral (1.971 ms). The participants were more accurate (emotions identification) in unmasked faces (M = 85.7%) than in masked faces (M = 73.8%), F(1,98) = 20.73, MSE = 1027.66, p ≤ .001, partial η² = 0.17. Masks make confusion and reduce the accuracy and speediness of emotional detection. This may have a notable impact on social interactions among peoples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arben Hysenaj
- Faculty of Social and Psychological Sciences, Heimerer College, Prishtina, Kosovo
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Health Psychology, University of Bamberg, Germany
| | - Mariel Leclère
- Faculty of Social and Psychological Sciences, Heimerer College, Prishtina, Kosovo
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Bernard Tahirbegolli
- Faculty of Social and Psychological Sciences, Heimerer College, Prishtina, Kosovo
- National Sports Medicine Center, Prishtine, Kosovo
| | - Dorentina Kuqi
- Faculty of Social and Psychological Sciences, Heimerer College, Prishtina, Kosovo
| | - Albane Isufi
- Faculty of Social and Psychological Sciences, Heimerer College, Prishtina, Kosovo
| | - Lulejete Prekazi
- Faculty of Social and Psychological Sciences, Heimerer College, Prishtina, Kosovo
| | - Nevzat Shemsedini
- Faculty of Social and Psychological Sciences, Heimerer College, Prishtina, Kosovo
| | - Driton Maljichi
- Institute for Sociological, Political and Juridical Research, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Skopje, North Macedonia
| | - Rina Meha
- Faculty of Social and Psychological Sciences, Heimerer College, Prishtina, Kosovo
- Institute of Sports and Preventive Medicine, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
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22
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Rodriguez AM, Festini SB. Face masks degrade our ability to remember face-name associations more than predicted by judgments of learning. Memory 2024; 32:143-155. [PMID: 38166650 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2023.2299361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks became required attire. Face masks obstruct the bottom portion of faces, restricting face processing. The present study examined the influence face masks have on memory predictions and memory performance for new face-name associations. Participants studied face-name pairs presented for 8 s (Experiment 1) or 10 s (Experiment 2). Half of the face-name pairs included a face mask obstructing the nose and mouth of the pictured face, counterbalanced across participants. Participants provided item-by-item judgements of learning (JOLs) and completed subsequent cued recall and associative recognition memory tests. Both experiments demonstrated that face masks impaired memory for newly-learned names, however, the magnitude of the mask impact was under-predicted by JOLs. The presence of a face mask negatively influenced memory performance to a greater degree than participants' JOLs predicted. Results have implications for name learning during pandemics, as well as in settings where face masks are common (e.g., medical field).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara B Festini
- Department of Psychology, University of Tampa, Tampa, USA
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23
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Tiewald C, Seibel A, Schienle A. A positive side effect of wearing face coverings for socially anxious females: Findings from a speech task. Heliyon 2024; 10:e23733. [PMID: 38187227 PMCID: PMC10767500 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Wearing face masks has become more common due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Until now, it has not been investigated whether socially anxious individuals can reduce their acute anxiety symptoms by wearing face masks during a speech task. Method Fifty-nine socially anxious females were asked to prepare and give an oral presentation. Participants were randomly allocated either to a group that was asked to wear a face mask during the task, or to a group that was not asked to wear a face mask during the task. Dependent variables included physiological parameters (systolic/diastolic blood pressure, heart rate) and self-reports (valence and arousal at baseline, as well as directly before and after the presentation). Results The analyses showed that the group without face masks had a higher systolic blood pressure than the group with face masks, directly before as well as after the presentation. The two groups did not differ in the other measures. Conclusion Wearing face masks has a small stress-reducing effect on socially anxious females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Tiewald
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Arved Seibel
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Anne Schienle
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
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24
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Diekhof EK, Deinert L, Keller JK, Degner J. The COVID-19 pandemic and changes in social behavior: Protective face masks reduce deliberate social distancing preferences while leaving automatic avoidance behavior unaffected. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2024; 9:2. [PMID: 38185759 PMCID: PMC10772029 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-023-00528-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Protective face masks were one of the central measures to counteract viral transmission in the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior research indicates that face masks impact various aspects of social cognition, such as emotion recognition and social evaluation. Whether protective masks also influence social avoidance behavior is less clear. Our project assessed direct and indirect measures of social avoidance tendencies towards masked and unmasked faces in two experiments with 311 participants during the first half of 2021. Two interventions were used in half of the participants from each sample (Experiment 1: protective face masks; Experiment 2: a disease prime video) to decrease or increase the salience of the immediate contagion threat. In the direct social avoidance measure, which asked for the deliberate decision to approach or avoid a person in a hypothetical social encounter, participants showed an increased willingness to approach masked as opposed to unmasked faces across experiments. This effect was further related to interindividual differences in pandemic threat perception in both samples. In the indirect measure, which assessed automatic social approach and avoidance tendencies, we neither observed an approach advantage towards masked faces nor an avoidance advantage for unmasked faces. Thus, while the absence of protective face masks may have led to increased deliberate social avoidance during the pandemic, no such effect was observed on automatic regulation of behavior, thus indicating the relative robustness of this latter behavior against changes in superordinate social norms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther K Diekhof
- Department of Biology, Neuroendocrinology and Human Biology Unit, Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, Institute for Animal Cell and Systems Biology, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Laura Deinert
- Department of Biology, Neuroendocrinology and Human Biology Unit, Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, Institute for Animal Cell and Systems Biology, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Judith K Keller
- Department of Biology, Neuroendocrinology and Human Biology Unit, Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, Institute for Animal Cell and Systems Biology, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Juliane Degner
- Department of Psychology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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25
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Polo N, Lã FMB. Self-Perceived Voice Handicap During COVID19 Compulsory Facemask Use: A Comparative Study Between Portuguese and Spanish Speakers. J Voice 2024; 38:105-111. [PMID: 34465480 PMCID: PMC8403057 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This study investigates self-perceptions of voice-related handicap as a function of facemask use in the general working population during the COVID19 outbreak, using the Voice Handicap Index (VHI). Each VHI item was answered twice in a row; the first answer referred to the condition of not wearing a facemask (henceforth, the Without condition) and the second to the condition of using a facemask (henceforth, the With condition). VHI scores were collected via Google Forms (Google, Mountain View, California), targeting 2 groups of speakers of different nationalities, Portuguese (n = 261) and Spanish (n = 297). A Wilcoxon test was carried out to compare VHI scores between With and Without conditions for each group of speakers; a Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare groups within each condition. Results suggested that VHI overall scores and scores for all dimensions were higher for the With condition, for both Portuguese and Spanish speakers. When comparing groups of speakers, Spanish speakers presented higher scores for functional and emotional dimensions, for both With and Without conditions. In addition, the overall score for the Without condition was higher for Spanish speakers. No differences between groups were found for the total VHI score for the With condition. When comparing overall VHIdiff between speakers, that is, the difference in the VHI total score between With and Without conditions, no significant differences could be found. Thus, a multiple regression analysis was carried out between the VHIdiff and the independent variables of interest: age, sex, smoking habits, professional occupation, nationality, facemask type and its hours of use. The resulting model providing the highest association suggested that 2.5% of the variation in overall VHIdiff total score could be associated with sex, smoking habits, and professional level. Female smokers who use their voices during prolonged hours at work (e.g., teachers, lawyers, sales people) presented a higher VHI total score when wearing a mask. Future voice-related health interventions should address preventive strategies towards speaking behaviors leading to vocal fatigue and vocal effort as a consequence of compulsory facemask use, especially with respect to female professional voice users who smoke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuria Polo
- Department of Spanish Language and General Linguistics, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain.
| | - Filipa M B Lã
- Department of Didactics, School Organization and Special Didactics, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain
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26
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Thomas PJN, Caharel S. Do masks cover more than just a face? A study on how facemasks affect the perception of emotional expressions according to their degree of intensity. Perception 2024; 53:3-16. [PMID: 37709269 DOI: 10.1177/03010066231201230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Emotional facial expressions convey crucial information in nonverbal communication and serve as a mediator in face-to-face relationships. Their recognition would rely on specific facial traits depending on the perceived emotion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing a facemask has thus disrupted the human ability to read emotions from faces. Yet, these effects are usually assessed across studies from faces expressing stereotypical and exaggerated emotions, which is far removed from real-life conditions. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of facemasks through an emotion categorization task using morphs ranging from a neutral face and an expressive face (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, and sadness) (from 0% neutral to 100% expressive in 20% steps). Our results revealed a strong impact of facemasks on the recognition of expressions of disgust, happiness, and sadness, resulting in a decrease in performance and an increase in misinterpretations, both for low and high levels of intensity. In contrast, the recognition of anger and fear, as well as neutral expression, was found to be less impacted by mask-wearing. Future studies should address this issue from a more ecological point of view with the aim of taking concrete adaptive measures in the context of daily interactions.
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Lobmaier JS, Knoch D. Face coverings increase apparent honesty and cooperativeness. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22327. [PMID: 38102181 PMCID: PMC10724122 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49127-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
People readily make inferences about trait-like characteristics of another person's face. Since the recent global COVID-19 pandemic, the widespread use of hygienic face masks has led to large proportions of the face being covered. We investigated the effect of face masks on the inference of prosocially relevant characteristics, namely cooperativeness and honesty. Portraits of participants of previous studies from which we knew their "true" prosocial tendencies served as stimuli. These facial stimuli were presented once with and once without a hygienic face mask to 60 naïve participants who rated the faces for cooperativeness and honesty. Results revealed that wearing face masks made people generally appear more cooperative and more honest than without a mask, but that these ratings were unrelated to the true prosocial tendencies of these people. Together, these findings have important implications for social interactions, particularly in contexts where nonverbal communication is essential, such as in healthcare settings, job interviews, and social gatherings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janek S Lobmaier
- Department of Social Neuroscience and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Daria Knoch
- Department of Social Neuroscience and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
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Gutiérrez-Puertas L, Márquez-Hernández VV, Ortíz-Rodríguez B, Aguilera-Manrique G, Gutiérrez-Puertas V. Effective communication between nursing professionals and patients after the implementation of mask-wearing requirements in the clinical setting: A cross-sectional study. Nurs Health Sci 2023; 25:676-684. [PMID: 37927155 DOI: 10.1111/nhs.13061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate staff nurses' perspectives on the use of face masks in effective communication and relationship management skills with patients in the hospital setting. The study surveyed registered nurses (RNs) who work with adult patients in different hospital units. An online survey was completed by RNs who were selected by convenience sampling. RNs' communication with patients was perceived as moderately affected by the use of face masks. Statistically significant differences were found when comparing communication with years of professional experience. Participants who had over 10 years of experience reported having greater difficulty in their communication with patients when using face masks. The effect of provider-patient relationship on effective nurse-patient face-mask communication was statistically significant and negative. This study shows that some participants found face masks used in the clinical setting may affect nurse-patient communication, as well as the nurses' ability to manage their relationships with patients. The findings of this study support the need for targeted research into effective communication strategies when face mask use is needed in the healthcare setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Gutiérrez-Puertas
- Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, Universidad de Almería, Almería, Spain
- Research Group Experimental and Applied Neuropsychology, HUM-061, Health Research Centre, Universidad de Almería, Almería, Spain
| | - Verónica V Márquez-Hernández
- Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, Universidad de Almería, Almería, Spain
- Research Group for Health Sciences CTS-451, Health Research Centre, Universidad de Almería, Almería, Spain
| | | | - Gabriel Aguilera-Manrique
- Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, Universidad de Almería, Almería, Spain
- Research Group for Health Sciences CTS-451, Health Research Centre, Universidad de Almería, Almería, Spain
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Gehdu BK, Tsantani M, Press C, Gray KL, Cook R. Recognition of facial expressions in autism: Effects of face masks and alexithymia. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2023; 76:2854-2864. [PMID: 36872641 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231163007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
It is often assumed that the recognition of facial expressions is impaired in autism. However, recent evidence suggests that reports of expression recognition difficulties in autistic participants may be attributable to co-occurring alexithymia-a trait associated with difficulties interpreting interoceptive and emotional states-not autism per se. Due to problems fixating on the eye-region, autistic individuals may be more reliant on information from the mouth region when judging facial expressions. As such, it may be easier to detect expression recognition deficits attributable to autism, not alexithymia, when participants are forced to base expression judgements on the eye-region alone. To test this possibility, we compared the ability of autistic participants (with and without high levels of alexithymia) and non-autistic controls to categorise facial expressions (a) when the whole face was visible, and (b) when the lower portion of the face was covered with a surgical mask. High-alexithymic autistic participants showed clear evidence of expression recognition difficulties: they correctly categorised fewer expressions than non-autistic controls. In contrast, low-alexithymic autistic participants were unimpaired relative to non-autistic controls. The same pattern of results was seen when judging masked and unmasked expression stimuli. In sum, we find no evidence for an expression recognition deficit attributable to autism, in the absence of high levels of co-occurring alexithymia, either when participants judge whole-face stimuli or just the eye-region. These findings underscore the influence of co-occurring alexithymia on expression recognition in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bayparvah Kaur Gehdu
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | - Maria Tsantani
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | - Clare Press
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - Katie Lh Gray
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Richard Cook
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
- School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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Wollast R, Schmitz M, Bigot A, Speybroeck N, Lacourse É, de la Sablonnière R, Luminet O. Trajectories of health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of handwashing, mask wearing, social contact limitations, and physical distancing. Psychol Health 2023:1-28. [PMID: 37981782 DOI: 10.1080/08870446.2023.2278706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
AIM This study aimed to investigate the associations between health behavior adherence and psychological factors during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on identifying trajectories of handwashing, mask wearing, social contact limitations, and physical distancing. METHODS We employed a multi-trajectory group-based approach to analyze data from 6026 Belgian residents, including 60% women, with an average age of 52.65. Data were collected over six waves spanning from April 2021 to December 2021. RESULTS Participants were categorized into trajectory groups based on persistently low (11.9%), moderate-low (20.9%), moderate-high (39.1%), and high (28.1%) levels of adherence to the specified health behaviors. Our findings indicate a declining trend in health behavior adherence over the study period. Additionally, we observed that females, older individuals, and those with prior COVID-19 infection had a higher likelihood of belonging to trajectory groups characterized by the highest levels of health behavior adherence. Similarly, individuals with positive vaccination intentions, a heightened perception of consequences, and increased health anxiety demonstrated greater adherence to health behaviors over time. Furthermore, our investigation into the relationship between health behaviors and mental health revealed that participants in trajectory groups with higher levels of adherence to social contact limitations and physical distancing reported increased feelings of loneliness and decreased life satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped our lives, and while vaccines have marked progress, maintaining health behaviors is crucial for virus prevention. To address potential mental health challenges from sanitary measures, policies and communication should promote health behaviors while acknowledging their psychological impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Wollast
- Research Institute for Psychological Sciences, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Mathias Schmitz
- Research Institute for Psychological Sciences, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Alix Bigot
- Research Institute for Psychological Sciences, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Niko Speybroeck
- Institute of Health and Society (IRSS), Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Éric Lacourse
- Department of Sociology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Roxane de la Sablonnière
- Laboratoire sur les changements sociaux, l'adaptation et le bien-être, Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Olivier Luminet
- Research Institute for Psychological Sciences, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Fund for Scientific Research (FRS-FNRS), Belgium
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Miyazaki Y, Kamatani M, Tsurumi S, Suda T, Wakasugi K, Matsunaga K, Kawahara JI. Effects of wearing an opaque or transparent face mask on the perception of facial expressions: A comparative study between Japanese school-aged children and adults. Perception 2023; 52:782-798. [PMID: 37728164 DOI: 10.1177/03010066231200693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
The negative side effects of mask-wearing on reading facial emotional cues have been investigated in several studies with adults post-2020. However, little is known about children. This study aimed to determine the negative influence of mask-wearing on reading emotions of adult faces by Japanese school-aged children, compared to Japanese adults. We also examined whether this negative influence could be alleviated by using a transparent face mask instead of an opaque one (surgical mask). The performance on reading emotions was measured using emotion categorization and emotion intensity rating tasks for adult faces. As per the findings, the accuracy of emotion recognition in children was impaired for various facial expressions (disgust, fear, happy, neutral, sad, and surprise faces), except for angry faces. Conversely, in adults, it was impaired for a few facial expressions. The perceived intensity for happy faces with a surgical mask was weaker in both children and adults than in those without the mask. A negative influence of wearing surgical masks was generally not observed for faces wearing a transparent mask in both children and adults. Thus, negative side effects of mask-wearing on reading emotions are observed for more facial expressions in children than in adults; transparent masks can help remedy these.
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Huc M, Bush K, Atias G, Berrigan L, Cox S, Jaworska N. Recognition of masked and unmasked facial expressions in males and females and relations with mental wellness. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1217736. [PMID: 38023041 PMCID: PMC10643509 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1217736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background While the effects of mask wearing/facial occlusion are known to impair facial expression recognition, little is known about the role of mental wellness on facial expression recognition, as well as the influence of sex on misattribution errors (i.e., confusions between emotions). In this large study, we aimed to address the relation between facial expression recognition and loneliness, perceived stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms in male and female adults. Methods We assessed the influence of mask-wearing on facial expression recognition [i.e., accuracy and response time (RT)] via an online study in N = 469 adult males and females across Canada. Results Expectedly, recognition was impaired under masked conditions (i.e., lower accuracy, longer RTs, more misattribution errors). Females were faster and more accurate than males, with less misattribution errors. A novel finding was that people with higher perceived stress were less accurate at identifying masked fearful faces. Perceived stress influenced the relation between sex and RT to masked happy faces; males with high stress scores were slower to recognize masked happy faces, the opposite was true for females. Finally, this study was among the first to show that higher loneliness predicted shorter RT to unmasked faces. Impact Our results show that facial expression recognition is impaired by mask-wearing, and that sex and mental health features are important predictors of performance. Such insight could be detrimental in certain sectors of the population (e.g., health care or education), and inform policies being adopted in future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Huc
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Katie Bush
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Gali Atias
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Lindsay Berrigan
- Department of Psychology, St Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Sylvia Cox
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Dawson College, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Natalia Jaworska
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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33
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Lee WJ, Oh S, Park JE, Hwang J, Eom H. Scalable, solvent-free transparent film-based air filter with high particulate matter 2.5 filtration efficiency. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 895:165197. [PMID: 37391139 PMCID: PMC10300200 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have realized the importance of wearing a mask. However, conventional nanofiber-based face masks impede communication between people because of their opacity. Moreover, it remains challenging to achieve both high filtration performance and transparency through fibrous mask filters without using harmful solvents. Herein, scalable transparent film-based filters with high transparency and collection efficiency are fabricated in a facile manner by means of corona discharging and punch stamping. Both methods improve the surface potential of the film while the punch stamping procedure generates micropores in the film, which enhances the electrostatic force between the film and particulate matter (PM), thereby improving the collection efficiency of the film. Moreover, the suggested fabrication method involves no nanofibers and harmful solvents, which mitigates the generation of microplastics and potential risks for the human body. The film-based filter provides a high PM2.5 collection efficiency of 99.9 % while maintaining a transparency of 52 % at the wavelength of 550 nm. This enables people to distinguish the facial expressions of a person wearing a mask composed of the proposed film-based filter. Moreover, the results of durability experiments indicate that the developed film-based filter is anti-fouling, liquid-resistant, microplastic-free and foldability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woo Jin Lee
- Carbon Neutral Technology R&D Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Cheonan 31056, Republic of Korea; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungtae Oh
- Carbon Neutral Technology R&D Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Cheonan 31056, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Eun Park
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The State University of New York Korea, Incheon 21985, Republic of Korea
| | - Jungho Hwang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hyeonjin Eom
- Carbon Neutral Technology R&D Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Cheonan 31056, Republic of Korea.
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Mulder MJ, Prummer F, Terburg D, Kenemans JL. Drift-diffusion modeling reveals that masked faces are preconceived as unfriendly. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16982. [PMID: 37813970 PMCID: PMC10562405 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44162-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of face masks has become a daily routine. Studies have shown that face masks increase the ambiguity of facial expressions which not only affects (the development of) emotion recognition, but also interferes with social interaction and judgement. To disambiguate facial expressions, we rely on perceptual (stimulus-driven) as well as preconceptual (top-down) processes. However, it is unknown which of these two mechanisms accounts for the misinterpretation of masked expressions. To investigate this, we asked participants (N = 136) to decide whether ambiguous (morphed) facial expressions, with or without a mask, were perceived as friendly or unfriendly. To test for the independent effects of perceptual and preconceptual biases we fitted a drift-diffusion model (DDM) to the behavioral data of each participant. Results show that face masks induce a clear loss of information leading to a slight perceptual bias towards friendly choices, but also a clear preconceptual bias towards unfriendly choices for masked faces. These results suggest that, although face masks can increase the perceptual friendliness of faces, people have the prior preconception to interpret masked faces as unfriendly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martijn J Mulder
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Franziska Prummer
- School of Computing and Communications, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - David Terburg
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - J Leon Kenemans
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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35
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Li S, Hao B, Dang W, He W, Luo W. Prioritized Identification of Fearful Eyes during the Attentional Blink Is Not Automatic. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1392. [PMID: 37891761 PMCID: PMC10605468 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13101392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The eye region conveys considerable information regarding an individual's emotions, motivations, and intentions during interpersonal communication. Evidence suggests that the eye regions of an individual expressing emotions can capture attention more rapidly than the eye regions of an individual in a neutral affective state. However, how attentional resources affect the processing of emotions conveyed by the eye regions remains unclear. Accordingly, the present study employed a dual-target rapid serial visual presentation task: happy, neutral, or fearful eye regions were presented as the second target, with a temporal lag between two targets of 232 or 696 ms. Participants completed two tasks successively: Task 1 was to identify which species the upright eye region they had seen belonged to, and Task 2 was to identify what emotion was conveyed in the upright eye region. The behavioral results showed that the accuracy for fearful eye regions was lower than that for neutral eye regions under the condition of limited attentional resources; however, accuracy differences across the three types of eye regions did not reach significance under the condition of adequate attentional resources. These findings indicate that preferential processing of fearful expressions is not automatic but is modulated by available attentional resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuaixia Li
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China; (S.L.); (W.H.)
- Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian 116029, China
| | - Bin Hao
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China; (S.L.); (W.H.)
- Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian 116029, China
| | - Wei Dang
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China; (S.L.); (W.H.)
- Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian 116029, China
| | - Weiqi He
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China; (S.L.); (W.H.)
- Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian 116029, China
| | - Wenbo Luo
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China; (S.L.); (W.H.)
- Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian 116029, China
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Badovinac SD, Flora DB, Edgell H, Flanders D, Garfield H, Weinberg E, Savlov D, Pillai Riddell RR. A Measure of Caregivers' Distress-Promoting Behaviors During Toddler Vaccination: Validation of the OUCHIE-RV. J Pediatr Psychol 2023; 48:787-797. [PMID: 37568248 PMCID: PMC10516456 DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsad050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The current study discusses the development and preliminary validation of an observational measure of caregivers' distress-promoting behavior (OUCHIE-RV) in the context of toddler routine vaccination. METHODS Measure validation was based on a sample of caregiver-toddler dyads (N = 223) from a longitudinal cohort-sequential study who were observed during toddlers' 12-, 18-, or 24-month routine vaccinations. Validity was assessed using correlations and cross-lagged path analysis and associations were tested between OUCHIE-RV composite scores and toddlers' pain-related distress as well as caregivers' state anxiety, soothing behaviors, heart rate, and heart rate variability. Interrater reliability was examined using intraclass correlations (ICC) and kappa coefficients. RESULTS Results of a cross-lagged path analysis indicated positive concurrent (β = .27 to β = .37) and cross-lagged predictive associations (β = .01 to β = .34) between OUCHIE-RV composite scores (reflecting the frequency and intensity of caregivers' distress-promoting behavior) and toddlers' pain-related distress. OUCHIE-RV composite scores were negatively associated with caregivers' concurrent use of physical comfort (r = -.34 to -.24) and rocking (r = -.36 to -.19) and showed minimal associations with caregivers' use of verbal reassurance (r = .06 to .12), state anxiety (r = -.02 to r = .09), heart rate (r = -.15 to r = .05), and heart rate variability (r = -.04 to r = .13). Interrater reliability was strong (Cohen's k = .86 to .97, ICC = .77 to .85). CONCLUSIONS Findings provide support for the validity and reliability of the OUCHIE-RV as a research tool for measuring caregiver behaviors that promote toddlers' pain-related distress during routine vaccinations and contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of caregiver-toddler interaction in acute pain contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David B Flora
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Heather Edgell
- School of Kinesiology & Health Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Hartley Garfield
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | | | - Rebecca R Pillai Riddell
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Pavlova MA, Moosavi J, Carbon CC, Fallgatter AJ, Sokolov AN. Emotions behind a mask: the value of disgust. SCHIZOPHRENIA (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 9:58. [PMID: 37709796 PMCID: PMC10502067 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-023-00388-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
The impact of face masks on social cognition and interaction became a popular topic due to the long-lasting COVID-19 pandemic. This theme persists in the focus of attention beyond the pandemic, since face covering not only reduces the overall amount of face information available but also introduces biases and prejudices affecting social perception at large. Many questions are still open. One of them is whether gender of beholders affects inferring of emotions covered by face masks. Reading covered faces may be particularly challenging for individuals with mental disorders, most of which are gender-specific. Previous findings are not only sparse, but inconclusive because most research had been conducted online with resulting samples heavily dominated by females. Here in a face-to-face study, females and males were presented with a randomized set of faces covered by masks. In a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm, participants had to indicate facial emotions displayed by posers. In general, the outcome dovetails with earlier findings that face masks affect emotion recognition in a dissimilar way: Inferring some emotions suffers more severely than others, with the most pronounced influence of mask wearing on disgust and close to ceiling recognition of fear and neutral expressions. Contrary to our expectations, however, males were on overall more proficient in emotion recognition. In particular, males substantially excelled in inferring disgust. The findings help to understand gender differences in recognition of disgust, the forgotten emotion of psychiatry, that is of substantial value for a wide range of mental disorders including schizophrenia. Watch Prof. Marina Pavlova discussing this her work and this article: https://vimeo.com/860126397/5966610f49?share=copy .
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina A Pavlova
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Jonas Moosavi
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Claus-Christian Carbon
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany
| | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexander N Sokolov
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Williams EH, Thompson NM, McCray G, Chakrabarti B. Autistic traits modulate the influence of face masks on gaze perception. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14921. [PMID: 37691074 PMCID: PMC10493222 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41900-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Detecting when others are looking at us is a crucial social skill. Accordingly, a range of gaze angles is perceived as self-directed; this is termed the "cone of direct gaze" (CoDG). Multiple cues, such as nose and head orientation, are integrated during gaze perception. Thus, occluding the lower portion of the face, such as with face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, may influence how gaze is perceived. Individual differences in the prioritisation of eye-region and non-eye-region cues may modulate the influence of face masks on gaze perception. Autistic individuals, who may be more reliant on non-eye-region directional cues during gaze perception, might be differentially affected by face masks. In the present study, we compared the CoDG when viewing masked and unmasked faces (N = 157) and measured self-reported autistic traits. The CoDG was wider for masked compared to unmasked faces, suggesting that reduced reliability of lower face cues increases the range of gaze angles perceived as self-directed. Additionally, autistic traits positively predicted the magnitude of CoDG difference between masked and unmasked faces. This study provides crucial insights into the effect of face masks on gaze perception, and how they may affect autistic individuals to a greater extent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elin H Williams
- Centre for Autism, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6DZ, UK.
| | - Nicholas M Thompson
- Centre for Autism, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6DZ, UK
- Faculty of Health, Education and Society, University of Northampton, Northampton, UK
| | | | - Bhismadev Chakrabarti
- Centre for Autism, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6DZ, UK
- India Autism Centre, Kolkata, India
- Department of Psychology, Ashoka University, Sonipat, India
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Kastendieck T, Dippel N, Asbrand J, Hess U. Influence of child and adult faces with face masks on emotion perception and facial mimicry. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14848. [PMID: 37684246 PMCID: PMC10491609 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40007-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Emotional mimicry, the imitation of others' emotion expressions, is related to increased interpersonal closeness and better interaction quality. Yet, little research has focused on the effect of face masks on emotional mimicry and none on (masked) child faces. To address this gap, we conducted an online experiment (N = 235, German sample, adult perceivers). Masks reduced emotion recognition accuracy for all expressions, except in the case of anger in masked child faces, where perceived anger was even increased. Perceived interpersonal closeness was reduced for masked happy and sad faces. For both child and adult expressers, masks reduced facial mimicry of happy expressions, with no mask effects for sadness and anger expression. A stronger mask effect on facial happiness mimicry of child faces was mediated by the degree of emotion recognition accuracy. Smiles shown by masked children were not recognized well, likely due to the absence of wrinkles around the eyes in child faces. Independent of masks, sadness shown by children was mimicked even more strongly than when shown by adults. These results provide evidence for facial mimicry of child expressions by adult perceivers and show that the effects of face masks on emotion communication may vary when children wear them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Till Kastendieck
- Department of Psychology, Social and Organizational Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Nele Dippel
- Clinic for Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy of Childhood and Adolescence, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Asbrand
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Ursula Hess
- Department of Psychology, Social and Organizational Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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40
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Køster A, Meyhoff CS, Andersen LPK. Experiences of isolation in patients in the intensive care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 2023; 67:1061-1068. [PMID: 37246341 DOI: 10.1111/aas.14284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients in the intensive care unit have been subjected to strict isolation precautions, and potentially long and complicated patient courses. The aim of the study is to provide an investigation of the experiences of isolation in COVID-19-positive patients in the ICU during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark. METHODS The study was performed in a 20-bed ICU at a university hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark. The study is based on a phenomenological framework, Phenomenologically Grounded Qualitative Research. This approach provides insights into the tacit, pre-reflective and embodied dimensions of the specific experience under investigation. Methods included a combination of in-depth structured interviews with ICU patients 6-12 months after ICU discharge, and observations from inside the isolated patient rooms. The descriptions of experiences gathered through the interviews were subjected to systematic thematic analysis. RESULTS Twenty-nine patients were admitted to the ICU in the period 10 March and 19 May 2020. A total of six patients was included in the study. Themes consistently reported across all patients included (1) being objectified to degrees that implied self-alienation; (2) feeling a sense of being in captivity; (3) being in an experiential state of surrealism, and finally (4) experiencing extreme loneliness and intercorporeal deprivation. CONCLUSION This study provided further insights into the liminal patient experiences of being isolated in the ICU due to COVID-19. Robust themes of experience were achieved through an in-depth phenomenological approach. Although, similarities in experiences compared to other patient groups exist, the precarious situation constituted by COVID-19 lead to significant intensifications across multiple parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allan Køster
- The Danish National Center for Grief, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christian Sylvest Meyhoff
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars Peter Kloster Andersen
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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41
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Zinn F, Mittelstädt JM. Effects of face masks on fairness in on-site personnel selection during a pandemic. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1168311. [PMID: 37720631 PMCID: PMC10500303 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1168311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Despite significant challenges, personnel selection procedures had to continue as on-site testing in the Covid-19 pandemic. Health and safety measures and specifically the use of face masks threaten to limit the fairness of cognitive testing and behavioral observation in the assessment center. Methods In this study, we compare the performance and pass rates of pilot selection under three different conditions in the selection campaigns of 2019 (pre-pandemic), 2020 (health and safety measures without mask), and 2021 (health and safety measures with mask). Results Mask wearing and other health and safety measures had no influence on the objective parameters of pilot selection. However, for some of the areas of competence in the assessment center subjective observability was rated lower for the condition with face masks. Discussion We conclude that the fairness and precision of selection processes are not compromised by wearing face masks and that a high degree of standardization in diagnostic instruments prevents a partially reduced subjective observability from affecting the selection's outcome.
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Jia H, Wang Q, Feng X, Hu Z. Face mask reduces gaze-cueing effect. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13160. [PMID: 37573401 PMCID: PMC10423210 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40195-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have found that face masks affect social cognition and behaviour in the context of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The eyes, the only part of the face not covered by face masks, are an important spatial attention cue that can trigger social attention orienting. Here, we adopted a spatial gaze-cueing task to investigate whether face masks affect social attention orienting triggered by eye gaze cues. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to determine the orientation of a target line under two types of cues-masked and non-masked faces-and two stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) conditions (300 ms and 1000 ms). The results showed that masked faces induced a smaller gaze-cueing effect (GCE) compared to non-masked faces at 300 ms SOA, while two face types induced similar GCEs at 1000 ms SOA. Experiment 2 used mouth-obscured faces and non-masked faces as cues and found that no significant difference in GCE between the two types at either 300 ms or 1000 ms SOA, indicating that the reduction of GCE caused by the masked face was due to the social meaning expressed by the mask rather than a physical effect of masking. The present study extends previous findings to support the idea that high-level social information affects the processing of eye gaze direction and provides evidence that face masks affect social cognition and behaviour in the context of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Jia
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610068, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi Wang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610068, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinghe Feng
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610068, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhonghua Hu
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610068, People's Republic of China.
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43
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Beauchamp JD, Mayhew CA. Revisiting the rationale of mandatory masking. J Breath Res 2023; 17:042001. [PMID: 37548323 DOI: 10.1088/1752-7163/acdf12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
In this perspective, we review the evidence for the efficacy of face masks to reduce the transmission of respiratory viruses, specifically severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and consider the value of mandating universal mask wearing against the widespread negative impacts that have been associated with such measures. Before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it was considered that there was little to no benefit in healthy people wearing masks as prophylaxis against becoming infected or as unwitting vectors of viral transmission. This accepted policy was hastily reversed early on in the pandemic, when districts and countries throughout the world imposed stringent masking mandates. Now, more than three years since the start of the pandemic, the amassed studies that have investigated the use of masks to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (or other pathogens) have led to conclusions that are largely inconsistent and contradictory. There is no statistically significant or unambiguous scientific evidence to justify mandatory masking for general, healthy populations with the intention of lessening the viral spread. Even if mask wearing could potentially reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in individual cases, this needs to be balanced against the physical, psychological and social harms associated with forced mask wearing, not to mention the negative impact of innumerable disposed masks entering our fragile environment. Given the lack of unequivocal scientific proof that masks have any effect on reducing transmission, together with the evident harms to people and the environment through the use of masks, it is our opinion that the mandatory use of face masks in the general population is unjustifiable and must be abandoned in future pandemic countermeasures policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D Beauchamp
- Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Giggenhauser Str. 35, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Chris A Mayhew
- Institute for Breath Research, Leopold-Franzens-Universität, Innsbruck, Innrain 66, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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44
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Kawagoe T, Teramoto W. Mask wearing provides psychological ease but does not affect facial expression intensity estimation. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230653. [PMID: 37650062 PMCID: PMC10465193 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing a face mask became a global daily practice. Japanese people were already accustomed to wearing masks due to their collectivistic culture, which prioritizes conformity and group harmony. In such a culture, where individuals are concerned about how others perceive them and their actions, wearing masks can be a self-protective action to prevent, escape, or reduce the severity of perceived negative feelings. Previous studies indicate that people experiencing anxiety tend to have negative biases when evaluating emotional expressions on faces. Therefore, we hypothesized that wearing a mask can reduce the negative feelings caused by social pressure, emotion processing, especially intensity perception. While our findings confirmed that wearing a mask reduced negative feelings caused by social pressure, there was no significant change in emotion intensity recognition performance. This null result might be attributed to the small effect size of the association between negative bias in emotion processing and an individual's state. In future studies, it would be valuable to include participants from non-collectivistic cultures to gain a broader understanding of the impact of wearing masks on emotion processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshikazu Kawagoe
- School of Humanities and Science, Tokai University, Kumamoto Campus, Toroku 9-1-1, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto 862-8652, Japan
| | - Wataru Teramoto
- Division of Cognitive Psychology, Kumamoto University, 2-40-1 Kurokami, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
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45
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Joseph RA, Carter B. Prosopagnosia (face blindness) and child health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurs Child Young People 2023; 35:28-34. [PMID: 36688257 DOI: 10.7748/ncyp.2023.e1454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Prosopagnosia or 'face blindness' is the inability to recognise people's faces. There are two types: congenital or developmental prosopagnosia, which is the most common, and acquired prosopagnosia, which may occur secondary to brain tumours, stroke or other brain disorders. The authors of this article explored if mask wearing as a result of the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may affect social and developmental outcomes in children, including the development of prosopagnosia. Limited research on this topic is available and, although some relevant publications were found, no definitive evidence of mask-induced prosopagnosia in children was identified. However, nurses should be aware of this issue and discuss coping strategies to support children with the condition. Longitudinal studies on outcomes in children from different age groups who grew up during the COVID-19 pandemic will provide further insight.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Beth Carter
- Liberty University School of Nursing, Lynchburg VA, US
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46
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Wang S, Han C, Sang Z, Zhang X, Chen S, Wang H, Wang G, Xu Y, Lei X, Chen J. Hidden faces, altered perceptions: the impact of face masks on interpersonal perception. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1203442. [PMID: 37416539 PMCID: PMC10321351 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1203442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The pandemic has made wearing masks commonplace, prompting researchers to investigate their effects on interpersonal perception. Findings indicate masks obstruct face identification and expression recognition, with lower face cues being most affected. When judging attractiveness, masks can enhance the appeal of less attractive faces, but reduce the appeal of more attractive faces. Trust and speech perception outcomes are inconclusive. Future studies could focus on individual differences in how masks influence our perception of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Wang
- Department of Psychology, College of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chengyang Han
- Department of Psychology, College of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory for Research in Early Development and Childcare, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zihan Sang
- Department of Psychology, College of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xuhui Zhang
- Department of Psychology, College of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shitao Chen
- Department of Psychology, College of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haoran Wang
- Department of Psychology, College of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Gang Wang
- Department of Psychology, College of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yiqian Xu
- Department of Psychology, College of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xue Lei
- School of Business Administration, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jixu Chen
- Chinese Education Modernization Research Institute of Hangzhou Normal University (Zhejiang Provincial Key Think Tank), Hangzhou, China
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47
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Harp NR, Langbehn AT, Larsen JT, Niedenthal PM, Neta M. Face coverings differentially alter valence judgments of emotional expressions. BASIC AND APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 45:91-106. [PMID: 37469671 PMCID: PMC10353716 DOI: 10.1080/01973533.2023.2221360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Face masks that prevent disease transmission obscure facial expressions, impairing nonverbal communication. We assessed the impact of lower (masks) and upper (sunglasses) face coverings on emotional valence judgments of clearly valenced (fearful, happy) and ambiguously valenced (surprised) expressions, the latter of which have both positive and negative meaning. Masks, but not sunglasses, impaired judgments of clearly valenced expressions compared to faces without coverings. Drift diffusion models revealed that lower, but not upper, face coverings slowed evidence accumulation and affected differences in non-judgment processes (i.e., stimulus encoding, response execution time) for all expressions. Our results confirm mask-interference effects in nonverbal communication. The findings have implications for nonverbal and intergroup communication, and we propose guidance for implementing strategies to overcome mask-related interference.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew T. Langbehn
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Jeff T. Larsen
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | | | - Maital Neta
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
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48
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Jeong NH, Lee J, Yun JC, Park DH, Park SB. Does wearing facial masks increase perceived facial attractiveness? An eye-tracking experiment. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1141319. [PMID: 37251026 PMCID: PMC10214864 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1141319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
As wearing a mask has become a routine of daily life since COVID-19, there is a growing need for psycho-physiological research to examine whether and how mask-fishing effects can occur and operate. Building upon a notion that people are likely to utilize information available from the facial areas uncovered by a mask to form the first impression about others, we posit a curvilinear relationship between the amount of the facial areas covered by a mask and the perception of others' attractiveness such that the attractiveness perception increases initially and then decreases as more facial areas are covered by a mask. To better examine this covering effect, we conduct an experiment using an eye-tracker and also administer a follow-up survey on the facial attractiveness of target persons. Our results showed that the facial attractiveness of target persons increased as the areas covered by a mask increased as in the moderate covering condition where the target persons wore only a facial mask, demonstrating that the mask-fishing was indeed possible thanks to the covering effect of a mask on the facial attractiveness. The experimental results, however, revealed that the mask-fishing effect disappeared as the areas covered increased further as in the excessive covering condition where the target persons' face and forehead were covered with a mask and a bucket hat. More importantly, the eye-tracking data analysis demonstrated that both the number of gaze fixation and revisits per unit area were significantly lower in the moderate covering than in the excessive covering condition, suggesting that participants in the moderate covering were able to form the impression about the target persons using cues available from the eyes and forehead areas such as hairstyle and eye color whereas those in the excessive covering were provided only a limited set of cues concentrated in the eyes area. As a result, the covering effect no longer existed under the excessive covering. Furthermore, our results showed that participants in the moderate covering were more likely than those in the excessive condition to exhibit the higher level of curiosity and perception of beautifulness but perceived the lower level of coldness when evaluating the target persons. The current research offers theoretical contributions and practical implications made from the eye-tracking experiment and discusses possible avenues for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan-Hee Jeong
- School of Business, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Junsik Lee
- Graduate School of Business IT, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Chan Yun
- Graduate School of Business IT, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Do-Hyung Park
- Graduate School of Business IT, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Se-Bum Park
- School of Business, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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49
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Scheibe S, Grundmann F, Kranenborg B, Epstude K. Empathising with masked targets: limited side effects of face masks on empathy for dynamic, context-rich stimuli. Cogn Emot 2023; 37:683-695. [PMID: 37013854 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2023.2193385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
Multiple studies revealed detrimental effects of face masks on communication, including reduced empathic accuracy and enhanced listening effort. Yet, extant research relied on artificial, decontextualised stimuli, which prevented assessing empathy under more ecologically valid conditions. In this preregistered online experiment (N = 272), we used film clips featuring targets reporting autobiographical events to address motivational mechanisms underlying face mask effects on cognitive (empathic accuracy) and emotional facets (emotional congruence, sympathy) of empathy. Surprisingly, targets whose faces were covered by a mask (or a black bar) elicited the same level of empathy motives (affiliation, cognitive effort), and accordingly, the same level of cognitive and emotional empathy compared to targets with uncovered faces. We only found a negative direct effect of face coverings on sympathy. Additional analyses revealed that older (compared to young) adults showed higher empathy, but age did not moderate face mask effects. Our findings speak against strong negative face mask effects on empathy when using dynamic, context-rich stimuli, yet support motivational mechanisms of empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Scheibe
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Felix Grundmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Bart Kranenborg
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Kai Epstude
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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50
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Klingner CM, Guntinas-Lichius O. Facial expression and emotion. Laryngorhinootologie 2023; 102:S115-S125. [PMID: 37130535 PMCID: PMC10171334 DOI: 10.1055/a-2003-5687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Human facial expressions are unique in their ability to express our emotions and communicate them to others. The mimic expression of basic emotions is very similar across different cultures and has also many features in common with other mammals. This suggests a common genetic origin of the association between facial expressions and emotion. However, recent studies also show cultural influences and differences. The recognition of emotions from facial expressions, as well as the process of expressing one's emotions facially, occurs within an extremely complex cerebral network. Due to the complexity of the cerebral processing system, there are a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders that can significantly disrupt the coupling of facial expressions and emotions. Wearing masks also limits our ability to convey and recognize emotions through facial expressions. Through facial expressions, however, not only "real" emotions can be expressed, but also acted ones. Thus, facial expressions open up the possibility of faking socially desired expressions and also of consciously faking emotions. However, these pretenses are mostly imperfect and can be accompanied by short-term facial movements that indicate the emotions that are actually present (microexpressions). These microexpressions are of very short duration and often barely perceptible by humans, but they are the ideal application area for computer-aided analysis. This automatic identification of microexpressions has not only received scientific attention in recent years, but its use is also being tested in security-related areas. This article summarizes the current state of knowledge of facial expressions and emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten M Klingner
- Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Germany
- Biomagnetic Center, Jena University Hospital, Germany
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