Masks have given many people an unexpected liberation from social expectations.
This is in addition to health reasons like protecting yourself and others from Covid-19.
- Updated: July 11, 2021
Wearing masks to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 is understandably a different matter. Everyone should wear a mask.
It is not so much of an exercise in uniformity nor is it a cultural requirement.
But a mask does have share some of the same effects. It shields you from the public and changes the way how we recognise each other. Not much in the way of facial expression apart from the eyes. Wearing a mask makes me feel neutral.
And I am surprised to find it intriguing.
Anonymity carries power.
The following is a list of some of the things that make wearing a mask pleasurable. Aside from the health benefits of course.
1. You know you are showing your respect.
Wearing a mask shows respect for the healthcare system and its ability to take care of everyone who need medical card.
The doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and others are directly on the front lines. They are risking their lives to take care of the sickest patients afflicted by COVID-19.
Wearing a mask is also about respect for each other.
People can spread COVID-19 whether they have symptoms or not.
I find it gratifying to know that wearing a mask shows my respect to the healthcare professionals and fellow human beings.
2. It helps you stop unconscious habits.
Some people have a habit of touching their face or parts of their face.
They are usually oblivious to the fact that they are doing it. These are bad habits, yet they are unable to help themselves get rid of them.
It prevents nose picking. Some people like to dig for gold and still do even with a mask on. But it does make it difficult to do so.
Some people like to touch, scratch, and pop pimples or other skin growths on their faces, which makes them even worse. However, those with itchy fingers must restrain themselves from pimple popping when wearing a mask.
Some people have nervous ticks like nail biting. And go for the nails every time nervousness, anxiety or fear comes in.
3. You get privacy.
When you wear a mask, you shield yourself from public view.
We recognise each other differently. You cannot see the nose, the mouth, and other expressions other than the eye movements. You cannot tell whether that person is smiling or not.
I find it interesting and intriguing at times.
For those who are shy or feel a wee bit awkward in public, a facial mask is wonderful.
You may be pleasantly surprised by how much you liked not thinking about you look. All because you happen to be hiding behind a mask.
4. It changes your perceptions of people.
I met a few new people during COVID19 pandemic. And because of the timing of our introduction, I had never seen them without masks.
It was interesting getting to know people without ever having seen their whole faces.
Neither of them looked like what I had imagined when unmasked for the first time.
You really do not know the whole of someone’s appearance if you have only just seen their eyes.
I have always wondered whether these relationships would have gone ahead differently because appearance did not enter the equation.
It must count for something. After all, people tend to start relationships based on the other person’s looks and appearances.
5. It helps you reduce social anxiety.
Some people have found that masking relieves them from pressures to uphold strict standards for grooming and appearance.
They save money and time by dumping their old makeup and shaving routines. It is also less stressful that way.
Others have also learned that hiding their mouths offers them unexpected freedoms.
Some restaurant, retail and other frontline staff say they no longer feel obligated to force a smile for customers.
Removing fake or forced smiles potentially reduces the burden of emotional discomfort.
Final thoughts.
Even though masking is more about protection from Covid-19, there are other health benefits.
Wearing a mask does provide me with minimal protection from other types of infection.
It feels safer covering my nose and mouth when I am among the sneezing, coughing public.
Wearing a mask also gives you other non-health related benefits.
You think less about how you look and appear to other people because you are hiding behind a mask.
You also may have probably noticed that everyone is much more pleasant when you engage people in shops. We only see eyes and the eyes without the full face are like mimes.
Directed words tend to be nicer minus the baggage of an unhappy face.
Everyone seems strangely to be in a better mood.
I am not advocating for us to move into a faceless future. Masks make people watching less interesting.
It is just that I have a new appreciation of what wearing a mask offers. It is a way to be private in public and the ability to control who sees the whole of me.
It is nice to feel that way.