Masking Emotions: Face Masks Impair How We Read Emotions
To date, COVID-19 has spread across the world, changing our way of life and forcing us to wear face masks. This report demonstrates that face masks influence the human ability to infer emotions by observing facial configurations. Specifically, a mask obstructing a face limits the ability of people o...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.669432/full |
| _version_ | 1818832728563384320 |
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| author | Monica Gori Lucia Schiatti Maria Bianca Amadeo |
| author_facet | Monica Gori Lucia Schiatti Maria Bianca Amadeo |
| author_sort | Monica Gori |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To date, COVID-19 has spread across the world, changing our way of life and forcing us to wear face masks. This report demonstrates that face masks influence the human ability to infer emotions by observing facial configurations. Specifically, a mask obstructing a face limits the ability of people of all ages to infer emotions expressed by facial features, but the difficulties associated with the mask’s use are significantly pronounced in children aged between 3 and 5 years old. These findings are of essential importance, as they suggest that we live in a time that may potentially affect the development of social and emotion reasoning, and young children’s future social abilities should be monitored to assess the true impact of the use of masks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T02:07:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-32c87a9841d94944a104696b00a16eb6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T02:07:39Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-32c87a9841d94944a104696b00a16eb62022-12-21T20:40:54ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-05-011210.3389/fpsyg.2021.669432669432Masking Emotions: Face Masks Impair How We Read EmotionsMonica GoriLucia SchiattiMaria Bianca AmadeoTo date, COVID-19 has spread across the world, changing our way of life and forcing us to wear face masks. This report demonstrates that face masks influence the human ability to infer emotions by observing facial configurations. Specifically, a mask obstructing a face limits the ability of people of all ages to infer emotions expressed by facial features, but the difficulties associated with the mask’s use are significantly pronounced in children aged between 3 and 5 years old. These findings are of essential importance, as they suggest that we live in a time that may potentially affect the development of social and emotion reasoning, and young children’s future social abilities should be monitored to assess the true impact of the use of masks.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.669432/fullCOVID-19emotion inferencefacial configurationsocial developmentface mask |
| spellingShingle | Monica Gori Lucia Schiatti Maria Bianca Amadeo Masking Emotions: Face Masks Impair How We Read Emotions Frontiers in Psychology COVID-19 emotion inference facial configuration social development face mask |
| title | Masking Emotions: Face Masks Impair How We Read Emotions |
| title_full | Masking Emotions: Face Masks Impair How We Read Emotions |
| title_fullStr | Masking Emotions: Face Masks Impair How We Read Emotions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Masking Emotions: Face Masks Impair How We Read Emotions |
| title_short | Masking Emotions: Face Masks Impair How We Read Emotions |
| title_sort | masking emotions face masks impair how we read emotions |
| topic | COVID-19 emotion inference facial configuration social development face mask |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.669432/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT monicagori maskingemotionsfacemasksimpairhowwereademotions AT luciaschiatti maskingemotionsfacemasksimpairhowwereademotions AT mariabiancaamadeo maskingemotionsfacemasksimpairhowwereademotions |