Introverted fun: why some people like to wear a mask
'17.02.2021'
Source: with the BBC
Many of us are depressed by the need to wear a mask in public places, but there are also people who find it not only convenient and useful, but also psychologically justified. For them, this is a way to cope with the unpleasant features of modern life, says with the BBC.
Being isolated from the outside world has never been difficult for Jay Lee. In his mind, a good evening is exactly what it looks like: ordering some food delivered to your home and watching a movie alone.
Lee, a 32-year-old small business owner from Leicester, England, considers himself an introvert. Although 2020 turned out to be very difficult for him (in the spring he lost his job at a large bank), Lee also sees positive aspects - for example, that everyone and everywhere now wears masks.
Lee was always strained by unexpected meetings with friends and acquaintances on the streets of the city. In his opinion, such spontaneous contacts are "incredibly burdensome."
Previously, he tried to minimize the possibility of bumping into someone of his acquaintances and went to the store almost to its very closing.
“Since I started wearing the mask, my awkward encounters with friends and family have diminished significantly,” he notes.
Now he goes to the store at any time, without worrying about meeting someone there. And he hopes that after the pandemic, wearing a mask will remain acceptable to society.
It is believed that wearing a mask is not the worst sacrifice we make to reduce the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19. However, most of us are looking forward to the day when we can get rid of the need to cover our faces.
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Glasses fog up from the mask, your face sweats, people do not see when you smile at them, and it is more difficult for friends to recognize you. And yet, some secretly rejoice at the opportunity to cover their faces, and the reasons for this are very different, often of a psychological nature.
For some, a mask on the face relieves of contacts, which in another situation lead to anxiety and tension.
But even if this defense mechanism does work, what happens when the pandemic ends?
"Anonymity gives you new strength"
On the one hand, for some people, wearing a mask is just an excuse to care less about their appearance and no longer attach importance to certain conventions. Women give up some of their makeup, men stop shaving - in general, they relax and at the same time save money.
Others suddenly found that their mouths covered with a mask gave them unexpected freedom. Those who work as a waiter or salesperson say that they no longer have to squeeze a smile out of themselves for each client or customer, relieving them of the need to constantly demonstrate emotions that they really do not feel.
Wearing a mask “frees up really valuable cognitive resources,” says Katherine Stamoulis, a New York-based educational psychologist and mental health consultant.
“During a pandemic, we are all under incredible stress. Whether you are worried about your own appearance or the fact that someone is annoying you, the mask brings temporary relief, relieves from many of the thoughts that bother us when we are in society. You have more time to think about what you want, or to meditate, ”says Stamulis.
And then there are those for whom masks serve as a psychological or physical protective barrier.
Surav Dutt, a 38-year-old business consultant from Warwick, England, likes to have "protection from sidelong glances, staring at close range, constant evaluation from others, researching your appearance, literally from head to toe, and so on."
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Before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, his daily commute involved a long journey through London's financial center, and he was often worried about what other pedestrians thought of him, how his clothes and appearance were judged.
However, now, he says, “I can relax ... The risk of coming into contact with other people is minimized. All others see are your eyes. ”
He feels protected by almost complete anonymity under the mask. In addition, according to him, he feels that strangers, also wearing masks, have become closer to him.
For Dutt, the mask is a symbol of vulnerability, defenselessness and a reminder of how much we all have in common.
“We live in a society where everyone depends on other people's judgments, on other people's assessments of our appearance, our behavior. And that [wearing the mask] clearly shows how vulnerable we humans are, ”says Dutt.
As Katherine Stamoulis explains, masks reduce the stress of unexpected encounters and contacts that frighten many introverts, allow them to worry less about their appearance, about their facial expressions, about saying only “right things”, being pleasant to everyone, and so on.
When you wear a mask, being in society is less anxiety-provoking, she adds, because "your personality, your personality can be hidden, your facial expression under the mask is not easy to analyze."
The physical aspects of anxiety and awkwardness (a tendency to blush or stammer) are almost removed, as well as the need to engage in conversation with strangers out of politeness.
“Anonymity, facelessness gives you new strength,” adds Ramani Durvasula, clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at California State University (Los Angeles).
“It is as if you are trying yourself in a new role, freeing yourself from unnecessary expectations of others, which can be so tiring, and from the need to strained smile (especially when you have no time for smiles),” says the expert.
Of course, the mask is just a small piece of cloth; it does not cover our body, eyes or hair. But closing her mouth, she hides from others our emotional state, facial expression - for example, a crooked grin.
An engagement that we might regret losing?
And yet experts say that in the long term, masks may not be such a good defense mechanism.
“Introverts may feel like it's great not to talk to people we don't know well. But the fact is that when you step out of your comfort zone and set yourself a psychologically difficult task, it can bring real satisfaction or new positive relationships, ”says Stamulis.
Many of her teenage patients now prefer online learning through Zoom - it is less stressful for them than face-to-face communication with peers and teachers. However, in the long term, she warns, they will have to learn to cope with their social anxiety.
Even for adults, she says, “there is a danger of losing the social contacts that feed us. Simple things like talking about the weather briefly or smiling at each other cause a rush of endorphins in our body and reduce the level cortisol".
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Brief conversations with strangers in public places can boost our mood. As shown one studycommuters who commute to work on commuter trains and buses who were asked to enter into dialogue with a neighbor seated next to them felt more satisfied than those who made their way in silence - even if they were introverts.
But in general, Stamulis is not overly concerned about the long-term consequences of wearing masks.
“Of course, if this continues year after year, then in terms of emotional development, emotional connections, this is not very good. But now there is such a time when people experience anxiety, stress, grief, and it is good if at least someone [wearing a mask] brings consolation or relief, ”the expert said.
