Study reveals that people look more attractive with face masks

According to British academics, the perception of face coverings evolved post-pandemic

When Covid-19 hit the world two years ago, face masks brought a significant addition to our physical appearances, with the fashion industry too wasting no time in adapting it as an accessory. According to new research at Cardiff University, people look more attractive in protective masks. Dr Michael Lewis, a reader from the aforementioned university’s school of psychology and an expert in faces, was surprised to learn that “men and women looked better with a face-covering obscuring the lower half of their faces.”

As per the Guardian, the research was originally conducted to test if the ill perception of surgical masks related to diseases and illnesses changed when the whole world resorted to it as protective gear. “We wanted to test whether this [masks deemed unattractive signifying illness] had changed since face coverings became ubiquitous and understand whether the type of mask had any effect,” said Lewis.

A blow to the fashion world, it was also discovered that a disposable blue medical mask was deemed to be the most appealing amongst all the types tested. “This may be because we’re used to healthcare workers wearing blue masks and now we associate these with people in caring or medical professions. At a time when we feel vulnerable, we may find the wearing of medical masks reassuring and so feel more positive towards the wearer,” Lewis added.

The first part of the research subjected a pool of men without a mask, wearing a plain cloth mask, a blue medical face mask, and holding a plain black book covering the area a face mask would hide, to be judged on a scale of 10 by select women. The second study switched men and women, giving men the chance to judge women. According to Lewis, the results were broadly the same for both.

“The pandemic has changed our psychology in how we perceive the wearers of masks. When we see someone wearing a mask we no longer think ‘that person has a disease, I need to stay away’, concluded Lewis.