Do you think of yourself as good-looking? Would you consider yourself to be attractive? If so, a new study has found that you are less likely to wear a mask.
A recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology has found that when deciding whether or not to wear a mask in certain settings, some people valued their attractiveness over potential health risks.
The survey examined the thoughts of 1,030 people, asking them to “self-evaluate their facial appearance” and then determine how likely they are to mask up these days.
According to the study, those with “high self-perceived attractiveness were less willing to wear a mask.” Part of the reason behind the “attractive” people dragging their feet on wearing a mask was because they thought it hid how good-looking they were.
The study offered quotes from individuals who thought of themselves as attractive and those who felt they were less attractive.
“I can’t wait to stop wearing a mask… I can’t wait to show my full face in places again,” one person said.
Another is quoted as saying, “I like to hide my face under the mask and really dread the day when mask mandates will come to an end.”
The study looked at the participants’ self-image, but it also examined how they approached wearing a mask in different locations and scenarios. Participants were asked about situations such as job interviews and going for walks with their dogs.
For the matter of attending a job interview, the study noted those who considered themselves really attractive wanted to put their looks to use, being more willing to unmask than others.
“These findings suggest that individuals are highly aware of the benefits of being physically attractive during the recruitment process, driving them to enhance their physical attractiveness,” the paper noted.
Psychologists have dubbed this phenomenon “pretty privilege,” something that happens when people who are good-looking will have more opportunities presented to them than people who are not attractive.
For scenarios considered to have less meaning, like walking the dog, both groups were willing to wear a mask as it wasn’t deemed as important. However, those who thought they were more attractive were still more likely to ditch the mask.
“Our findings suggest that mask-wearing can shift from being a self-protection measure during the COVID-19 pandemic to a self-presentation tactic in the post-pandemic era,” the paper says.
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