Reduced Perceived Trustworthiness during Face Mask Wearing
To curb the diffusion of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), governments worldwide have introduced different policies, including lockdowns, social distancing, and mandatory mask wearing. Face mask wearing, especially, has an impact on the formation of first impressions, given that when meeting someo...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-11-01
|
| Series: | European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2254-9625/11/4/105 |
| _version_ | 1797505229488390144 |
|---|---|
| author | Giulio Gabrieli Gianluca Esposito |
| author_facet | Giulio Gabrieli Gianluca Esposito |
| author_sort | Giulio Gabrieli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To curb the diffusion of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), governments worldwide have introduced different policies, including lockdowns, social distancing, and mandatory mask wearing. Face mask wearing, especially, has an impact on the formation of first impressions, given that when meeting someone for the first time, individuals rely on the only available piece of information, the newly met person’s aesthetic appearance, in order to make initial estimations of other traits, such as competence, intelligence, or trustworthiness. However, face mask wearing affects the aesthetic appearance of an individual, creating uncertainty which, in turn, has been reported to reduce others’ perceived trustworthiness. In this paper, the influence of face mask wearing on strangers’ perceived trustworthiness and aesthetic appearance is assessed to verify the impact of this policy on impression formation. Participants (N = 71) have been instructed to assess the trustworthiness and the aesthetic appearance of a selection of 96 images depicting individuals of different ages (children, adults, and older adults), gender (men and women), and ethnicity (Asians or Caucasians). Participants were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. Participants in the experimental group (N = 38) rated faces of individuals wearing a face mask, while participants in the control group rated the same faces but in the absence of a face mask. Images were presented in random order. For each face, participants were asked to rate the aesthetic appearance and perceived trustworthiness of the stranger on two different 100-point Likert scales. Results demonstrate that (i) the correlation between perceived trustworthiness and aesthetic appearance is not affected by the presence of a face mask, and (ii) age, but not ethnicity and gender, influences the magnitude of differences in perceived trustworthiness levels during mask wearing. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:15:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0819f41bb8194e62a56d1f8599568699 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2174-8144 2254-9625 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:15:38Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-0819f41bb8194e62a56d1f85995686992023-11-23T08:00:45ZengMDPI AGEuropean Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education2174-81442254-96252021-11-011141474148410.3390/ejihpe11040105Reduced Perceived Trustworthiness during Face Mask WearingGiulio Gabrieli0Gianluca Esposito1Psychology Program, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639818, SingaporePsychology Program, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639818, SingaporeTo curb the diffusion of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), governments worldwide have introduced different policies, including lockdowns, social distancing, and mandatory mask wearing. Face mask wearing, especially, has an impact on the formation of first impressions, given that when meeting someone for the first time, individuals rely on the only available piece of information, the newly met person’s aesthetic appearance, in order to make initial estimations of other traits, such as competence, intelligence, or trustworthiness. However, face mask wearing affects the aesthetic appearance of an individual, creating uncertainty which, in turn, has been reported to reduce others’ perceived trustworthiness. In this paper, the influence of face mask wearing on strangers’ perceived trustworthiness and aesthetic appearance is assessed to verify the impact of this policy on impression formation. Participants (N = 71) have been instructed to assess the trustworthiness and the aesthetic appearance of a selection of 96 images depicting individuals of different ages (children, adults, and older adults), gender (men and women), and ethnicity (Asians or Caucasians). Participants were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. Participants in the experimental group (N = 38) rated faces of individuals wearing a face mask, while participants in the control group rated the same faces but in the absence of a face mask. Images were presented in random order. For each face, participants were asked to rate the aesthetic appearance and perceived trustworthiness of the stranger on two different 100-point Likert scales. Results demonstrate that (i) the correlation between perceived trustworthiness and aesthetic appearance is not affected by the presence of a face mask, and (ii) age, but not ethnicity and gender, influences the magnitude of differences in perceived trustworthiness levels during mask wearing.https://www.mdpi.com/2254-9625/11/4/105halo effectaesthetic appearancetrustworthinessface mask |
| spellingShingle | Giulio Gabrieli Gianluca Esposito Reduced Perceived Trustworthiness during Face Mask Wearing European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education halo effect aesthetic appearance trustworthiness face mask |
| title | Reduced Perceived Trustworthiness during Face Mask Wearing |
| title_full | Reduced Perceived Trustworthiness during Face Mask Wearing |
| title_fullStr | Reduced Perceived Trustworthiness during Face Mask Wearing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reduced Perceived Trustworthiness during Face Mask Wearing |
| title_short | Reduced Perceived Trustworthiness during Face Mask Wearing |
| title_sort | reduced perceived trustworthiness during face mask wearing |
| topic | halo effect aesthetic appearance trustworthiness face mask |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2254-9625/11/4/105 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT giuliogabrieli reducedperceivedtrustworthinessduringfacemaskwearing AT gianlucaesposito reducedperceivedtrustworthinessduringfacemaskwearing |