Face Mask Impairment in Basic Emotion Recognition

Wearing masks is crucial for preventing the spread of viruses. However, their widespread adoption may pose challenges to reading facial expressions. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a flurry of research examined how face coverings affect emotional decoding skills. Yet their findings were inconsistent. This study aims to delve deep into the impact of mask-wearing on emotional recognition. A total of 113 participants (65% female, mean age = 23.61) took part in the study. Participants were tasked with identifying emotions—neutrality, fear, happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, and surprise—by looking at faces both masked and unmasked. Unbiased hit rate (Hu), which helps minimize response biases, was employed as the measure. The results revealed marked differences in Hu scores between the masked and unmasked faces for every emotion, pointing to a detrimental effect of masks on emotion decoding. These outcomes underscore the need for alternative strategies that could effectively blend health safety with the maintenance of vital facial expressions, which is crucial for understanding emotions.