(Un)mask yourself! Effects of face masks on facial mimicry and emotion perception during the COVID-19 pandemic
(Un)mask yourself! Effects of face masks on facial mimicry and emotion perception during the COVID-19 pandemic
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DOI：
10.1080/02699931.2021.1950639
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发表时间：
2021-08-25
影响因子：
2.6
通讯作者：
Hess, Ursula
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kastendieck, Till;Zillmer, Stephan;Hess, Ursula
据说口罩会对面对面的交流产生负面影响。然而，关于部分面部遮挡对情感感知和面部模仿等共情过程有害的程度的证据有限。为了解决这个问题，我们进行了一项在线实验（N=200，英国样本），评估了对蒙面和未蒙面面孔的主观评分和面部表情（模仿）。感知者能够在动态情绪表达中识别快乐和悲伤，而不依赖于（外科手术）口罩。然而，被蒙面者的感知情感强度和人际亲密度降低。面部模仿，即感知者对表达者情绪表现的模仿，在回应快乐时减少或不存在，但在回应悲伤时保留下来。对于快乐的目标表情，面部模仿的联系部分被感知到的情绪强度所介导，这支持了模仿受情境效应影响的观点。因此，这些研究结果表明，面具是否阻碍情绪交流取决于所表达的情绪和兴趣的情绪交流方面。随着COVID-19大流行给非语言交流带来前所未有的变化，这项研究标志着我们对面部模仿在这些时期作为重要社会调节因素的理解的首次贡献。
Face masks have been said to impact face-to-face interaction negatively. Yet, there is limited evidence on the degree to which partial face occlusion is detrimental to empathic processes such as emotion perception and facial mimicry. To address this question, we conducted an online experiment (N=200, U.K. sample) that assessed subjective ratings and facial expressions (mimicry) in response to masked and unmasked faces. Perceivers were able to recognise happiness and sadness in dynamic emotion expressions independent of (surgical) face masks. However, perceived emotion intensity and interpersonal closeness were reduced for masked faces. Facial mimicry, the perceiver's imitation of the expresser's emotional display, was reduced or absent in response to happy but preserved for sad mask-covered expressions. For happy target expressions, the face-mimicry link was partially mediated by perceived emotion intensity, supporting the idea that mimicry is influenced by context effects. Thus, these findings suggest that whether face masks impede emotion communication depends on the emotion expressed and the emotion-communication aspect of interest. With unprecedented changes in nonverbal communication brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, this research marks a first contribution to our understanding of facial mimicry as an important social regulator during these times.