Research: People in medical masks look more attractive

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Features of perception and selection of potential partners have changed due to the pandemic .

Scientists from Cardiff University in the UK asked 43 women to rate men's photos on a scale from one to ten. In the pictures, some of the heroes were without masks, others were wearing simple cloth masks, blue medical masks or with a black book in their hands that covered the lower part of their face.

The participants of the experiment named men in blue medical masks as their unequivocal favorites. Heroes in fabric masks came in second place in terms of the total number of points scored.

Before the pandemic, similar studies showed completely different results. Masks made people think of illness, so people preferred to avoid those who wore them.

Now, wearing a medical mask has an encouraging effect on others, noted one of the authors of the study, Dr. Michael Lewis. People feel vulnerable during a pandemic, so they have a more positive attitude towards a person who is associated with medicine – it gives hope that everything will be fine.

The scientist noted:

The pandemic has changed our psychology in how we perceive mask wearers. When we see someone wearing a mask, we no longer think, “this person has a disease, I need to stay away.” This is about evolutionary psychology and how we choose mates. Previously, any signs of illness were a big obstacle in such a choice. Now we can see a shift in our psychology: face masks no longer serve as a signal of infection.

Lewis added: perhaps masks make people more attractive because they direct attention to the eyes. Other studies have shown that covering up the left or right side of the face also makes people more interesting — in part because the brain fills in the missing gaps on its own.