HOW DOES WEARING A FACE MASK AFFECT PERSONS TRUSTWORTHINESS AND ATTRACTIVENES

Abstract

Face masks became a necessary part of everyday life during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, most people associated face masks with health care facilities and immunocompromised people. This effect leads to a lower evaluation of the attractiveness of the wearer's face. People's attractiveness correlates with trustworthiness and willingness to communicate. This study examined how the Covid-19 pandemic affected people's perceptions of attractiveness and trustworthiness when looking at faces with face masks. To investigate this question, research participants were presented with a series of photographs of men and women who were divided into three attractivity groups, wearing a black face mask, a white face mask, a blue surgical face mask, and faces without masks. A total of 209 respondents participated in the survey, 80.9% were female and 19.1% were male. Of these, 42.1% of respondents said they were in a relationship and 57.9% said they were not. As many as 80.9% of the respondents were aged between 18-25 years, 10% of the respondents were aged between 26-30 years and 9.1% of the respondents were aged above 30 years. The average age of respondents was 23.6 years. The results showed that the least attractive and trustworthy were the faces without face masks. Faces covered with a black face mask were perceived to be the most attractive and trustworthy. A statistically significant difference was found between men's and women's ratings of trustworthiness and attractiveness in favour of women. The influence of gender, age and relationship status of raters (respondents) on the attractiveness and trustworthiness ratings of models.