Mindreading in the Pandemic: Face Masks Negatively Skew Theory of Mind Judgements

Abstract

Face masks obscure a significant portion of the face, reducing the amount of information available to gauge the mental states of others—that is, to exercise the Theory of Mind (ToM) capacity. In two experiments, we assessed the effect of face masks on ToM judgements, measuring recognition accuracy, perceived valence, and perceived arousal of a set facial expressions corresponding to 45 different mental states. Significant effects of face masks were found in all three variables, with differential effects found for positive and negative mental states: Judgements of positive expressions are less accurate when masked, and the expressions are perceived to be less positive and less intense; judgements of negative expressions are also less accurate but, in contrast, the expressions are perceived to be more intense. In addition, we identified face muscles associated with changes in perceived valence and arousal, shedding light on the mechanisms through which face masks impact ToM judgements, which might be relevant for mitigation strategies. We discuss the implications of these findings for real-world social interactions.

Child and Adult Faces: Facial Mimicry and Emotion Perception Are Influenced by the Interaction of Target Age and Face Masks

“…This is particularly interesting as we can speculate that, with more time into the pandemic or mask-wearing practices in general, less pronounced mask effects on emotional mimicry may be expected as perceivers may shift their attention to the eye region. In line with the classical perspective that people are relatively good at judging mental states from the eye region alone ( 28 ; but see 29 , for evidence of mask effects on theory of mind), this is especially relevant for the mimicry of happiness. As noted above, more intense smiles are characterized by wrinkles in the eye region -due to activity of the orbicularis oculi lateralis muscle -which remain visible even when a mask is worn.…”