(Un)mask yourself! Effects of face masks on facial mimicry and emotion perception during the COVID-19 pandemic

TLDR

Face masks have been said to impact face‑to‑face interaction negatively, yet there is limited evidence on how partial face occlusion affects empathic processes such as emotion perception and facial mimicry. The study aimed to determine how face masks influence emotion perception and facial mimicry. An online experiment with 200 UK participants measured subjective ratings and facial expressions in response to masked and unmasked dynamic faces. Participants could recognize happiness and sadness regardless of masks, but perceived emotion intensity, interpersonal closeness, and facial mimicry for happy expressions were reduced or absent with masks, while mimicry for sad expressions remained intact, indicating that mask effects on emotion communication depend on the expressed emotion and the aspect of communication.

Abstract

Face masks have been said to impact face-to-face interaction negatively. Yet, there is limited evidence on the degree to which partial face occlusion is detrimental to empathic processes such as emotion perception and facial mimicry. To address this question, we conducted an online experiment (N=200, U.K. sample) that assessed subjective ratings and facial expressions (mimicry) in response to masked and unmasked faces. Perceivers were able to recognise happiness and sadness in dynamic emotion expressions independent of (surgical) face masks. However, perceived emotion intensity and interpersonal closeness were reduced for masked faces. Facial mimicry, the perceiver's imitation of the expresser's emotional display, was reduced or absent in response to happy but preserved for sad mask-covered expressions. For happy target expressions, the face-mimicry link was partially mediated by perceived emotion intensity, supporting the idea that mimicry is influenced by context effects. Thus, these findings suggest that whether face masks impede emotion communication depends on the emotion expressed and the emotion-communication aspect of interest. With unprecedented changes in nonverbal communication brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, this research marks a first contribution to our understanding of facial mimicry as an important social regulator during these times.