A Study of Japanese University Students Influenced by the Covid-19 Pandemic and their Awareness with Their One’s Own Face

Abstract

In 2019, an outbreak of novel coronavirus infection (hereafter referred to as Covid-19) occurred, and on January 16, 2020, the first case of an infected person was confirmed in Japan. Now that more than two years have passed, the world is gradually returning to normal. However, the increased use of Social Networking Services (SNS) and web conferencing tools has caused young people, who are accustomed to seeing filtered faces, to become dissatisfied and uncomfortable with their own real faces. This has resulted in an increased number of young people who have become dissatisfied and mentally stressed with their facial features and expressions. Therefore, the author conducted a study on young people aged 18–20 years old in 2022 regarding this issue. The author evaluated the changes in awareness one’s own face between the Covid-19 pandemic and the present among students attending Japanese universities, despite being affected by Covid-19 in the latter half of their high school or college years. The results indicated that 49.2% of the respondents revealed that their awareness their own faces had changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on these findings, it is necessary for educators and parents to take considerable actions, so that young people do not become obsessed with the quality of their facial features and feel unduly stressed. Furthermore, young people should not be ashamed of their real, unfiltered faces.

Discovering Differences in Consciousness of Facial Features Among Japanese University Students in the Year of Admission According to COVID-19

“…Therefore, it should be noted that not all students who answered "no change" were indifferent to their own faces. In existing studies, female students tend to be more likely than male students to report that they want to continue wearing masks because of their daily habits, such as wearing makeup and fashionable masks [24,25], and that they have changed their self-consciousness about their faces as a result of the behavioral change caused by the COVID-19 epidemic. The results suggest that female students are more likely to continue wearing masks than male students [26]．In contrast to existing studies, this study classified students by the attribute of year of admission and conducted a crosstabulation.…”

A Study of Japanese University Students' Perceptions of Their Appearance and Their Tendency to Wear Masks During School During the COVID-19

“…[17] shows that wearing an act not only prevents infection but also leads to behavior in sympathy with others who wear masks. In addition, [18] found that females showed a greater awareness of their faces than males, and both genders were more conscious of their facial appearance than their body image. In a survey of university entrants, almost 40% of subjects expressed a desire to continue wearing masks in public, citing a sense of safety and privacy.…”

The Asian Conference on Arts and Humanities 2023 Official Conference Proceedings

“…With many study abroad programs still yet to be resumed, and international exchange opportunities dramatically reduced, students have found themselves confined within the boundaries of their own institutions, unable to interact internationally and engage in cross-cultural learning. Amidst these challenges, the recognition of the risks posed to student well-being and the pressing need for a new direction in post-COVID education have emerged (Komiya, 2022).…”