(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – According to a recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology, people who perceive themselves as less attractive than others are more likely to wear masks in situations when they are motivated to make a good impression.
The study’s authors stated that “self-perceived unattractive individuals were more willing to wear a mask, as they believed it would benefit their attractiveness.”
The study hypothesized that people with a higher self-perceived attractiveness are less likely to wear a mask as the mask makes it more difficult for them to make a good impression on others.
The researchers focused on three studies that surveyed participants in the US about their self-perceived attractiveness and mask-wearing behavior in job interview scenarios.
The researchers studied job interview settings because “interviewees’ physical appearance considerably affects their interview outcomes.”
In the first study, 244 people were asked to imagine receiving an email for a job interview and were questioned if they would wear a mask during the interview and if those interviewing them would perceive them as more attractive by wearing a mask. The results showed that those who believe they are attractive are less likely to think that masks will diminish their attractiveness and hence less likely to wear masks.
The second study confirmed the findings of the first experiment with 344 participants, “even when controlling for other alternative beliefs—namely, mask trustworthiness/competence beliefs.”
The third study randomly assigned 442 people to two groups – one group that would imagine a mundane activity and another group that was highly motivated to make a good impression. The study showed that the influence of self-perceived attractiveness on mask-wearing only tends to be present when individuals are highly motivated to impress others, such as a job interview, but not when they engage in mundane, everyday activities like walking a dog.
The study noted several limitations. The researchers acknowledged that they only studied one particular situation, job interviews. Still, many other situations motivate people to make good impressions, such as going on blind dates.
Additionally, the study did not account for many other factors, such as political orientation, that could have influenced the results. Many people at both ends of the political spectrum have strong, often opposing views about mask-wearing.
The researchers also noted that when individuals expect multiple future interactions with others, self-perceived attractiveness might be less associated with mask-wearing intention.
‘Unattractive individuals’ wear masks more often than others: Study https://t.co/20Qq4OSFee pic.twitter.com/QX33UICYeU
— New York Post (@nypost) February 7, 2023
