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Japan is right in the middle of mask season right now. With the flu-conducive conditions of winter still lingering and the hay fever-inducing inundation of spring pollen on the way, every time you step outside you can count on seeing people going about their daily business wearing surgical masks over their mouth and nose.
But while the masks are little cloth saviors for those trying to avoid getting a cold or a face full of pollen, they have other fans too. In recent years, an increasing number of young people have been wearing for reasons unrelated to sickness or respiratory problems. They’ve become especially popular among young women who don’t want to bother with putting on makeup, and mask fans of both genders have voiced their appreciation at how wearing a mask helps keep their face warm.
But researchers from the University of Hokkaido and Nagoya’s Chukyo University have identified what they say is one drawback: wearing a mask can make you look less attractive. Junichiro Kawahara, associate professor at Hokkaido University’s Graduate School of Letters, and Chukyo University psychology professor Yuki Miyazaki have released the preliminary results from their joint research project. In the study, the pair began by photographing 66 men and 66 women, all between the ages of 20 and 39. Each person was photographed twice, once wearing a white surgical mask, and once without. The pictures were then shown to two different groups of survey respondents (with 29 men and women looking at the women’s photos and 26 men and women looking at the men’s) who rated how attractive they thought the people in the photos were, on a scale from one to one hundred.
When the responses were compiled, Kawahara and Miyazaki found notably lower evaluations for the photos of people wearing masks. The average score for females without masks was 49.1, compared to 44.7 for those wearing masks. The gap was even more pronounced between the highest-ranking maskless and masked women, who respectively received 65.4 and 56.5 points.
While not as severe, similar disparities were observed among the evaluations of the male photos, for which the average maskless score was 41.7 versus the masked average of 39. The top-ranking maskless male earned 56.5 points, while the number-one masked man came away with just 51.6.
The researchers have a number of theories as to why the people in the masked photos were consistently rated as less attractive. For starters, wearing a mask limits how much facial expression you can show, and also hides the skin and lips, two common points of attraction. Moreover, Kawahara and Miyazaki feel that a white mask, given its long-standing connection with hospitals, imparts a sickly or unhealthy aura.
All of those sound like reasonable explanations, but one can’t help but notice the startling low scores for even the maskless photos. On a scale of one to one hundred, it seems like anything under 50 would indicate “unattractive,” so the average maskless women’s and men’s scores of 49.1 and 41.7 suggest that the survey respondents’ personal preferences didn’t really align with the looks of the pool of photo models to begin with. Partially covering the face with a mask, of course, leaves the rest of the person’s appearance up to the respondents’ imagination, and if they aren’t really liking even what they can see, it’s possible many assumed the worst about what they couldn’t. It’s also probable that having both men and women rate the attractiveness of photos of a single gender caused the scores to skew particularly low.
Still, if Kawahara and Miyazaki’s result have you worried about being seen as both sickly and ugly, but you’ve still got your heart set on wearing a mask, maybe you’d be better off slipping on a pink one.
Sources: Hokkaido Shimbun/Yahoo! Japan News
Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- Breaking research from Japan: wearing a pink face mask makes you more attractive -- Why do Japanese people wear surgical masks? It’s not always for health reasons -- Sailor Moon cloth masks are here to protect you from germs the magical girl way!
© Japan Today
29 Comments
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katsu78
When RocketNews24 publishes a sentence like this:
Without a shred of evidence to back it up,it somewhat undermines their research criticism chops that they'd like us to accept for sentences like this:
Kurobune
I remember seeing one of those masks printed with The Rolling Stones tongue logo about thirty or so years ago. Thought that was cool !
Tessa
I love masks, I wish more people would wear them.
gaijinfo
If a girl's got pretty eyes and a nice figure, a mask might make her better looking if her mouth ain't all that.
Mocheake
If you are a foreigner, generally, you look like a dee oh are kay when wearing one. C'mon, admit it - you'd feel pretty silly back home wearing a mask all day.
Wc626
If her legs / butt and upper torso are nice, then she's prob good-to-go. What the mask isn't revealing shouldn't be the bottom line.
MarkG
The photo shows only her eyes. I see enough to say she IS attractive visually.
nath
I am a fan of eyes so wearing a mask enhances them for me. IMHO, eyes alone can be very sexy.
HonestDictator
Masks don't work imo. If you're wearing one because you are sick, have allergies, or don't want to get sick, its fine because that is what they're meant for! Wearing one without any of those above reasons is a waste.
goldorak
"The researchers have a number of theories as to why the people in the masked photos were consistently rated as less attractive. For starters, wearing a mask limits how much facial expression you can show, and also hides the skin and lips, two common points of attraction."
Hard to argue with that. On the other hand masks also hide a poor dentition and other imperfections am not going to state here (ok just for fun, a 'tache for example!) . And when it comes to that am still very gaijin and likes a woman with a nice or at least ok dentition.
In other words I do find women wearing a mask or a veil (Iran anyone) attractive... provided they really are attractive without it!! Anyway, we aren't a shallow bunch, naaaa, and are all about personality, thoughtfulness etc.
Thunderbird
what could be creepier than a tv commercial portraiting a happy family, putting white masks on each other before leaving home?
sillygirl
Yes, it looks pretty silly and when I have to talk to a customer service person wearing one cannot understand what they are saying half the time., puleeze stay the hell home or get some allergy medicine.
kyushubill
Yet many think the mask is some sort of invisibility cloak which is why they wear it.
trinklets2
I've worked in some factories where wearing one is a must. And I can say that some look beautiful and charming and handsome using it. I just cant understand why they look awful without it.
kickboard
As someone suffering from hay fever, I can assure you that just taking medication is not enough. I need to wear a mask when I go out or else I will have a sneeze attack.
Jake Watson
I love the fact that people in Japan have enough respect for their fellow humans to protect others if they cough. However IN america people look at you like you have leprosy or you might cough aids on them if you wear a face mask. I appreciate that Japanese people wear these masks and I am not personally trying to get a mate if they are wearing one!
TakahiroDomingo
scientists should try to answer if the mask is used for health or for social hiding. i think in the majority of cases it's more for the socially shy japanese.
nath
wear a black mask, looks cool if the rest of your outfit matches it
masks do nearly nothing to stop you from catching a cold if you're around people coughing and sneezing in a packed train. masks don't provide an airtight seal against your skin, virus particles just explode out of all those gaps whenever you sneeze. they do stop you from infecting yourself by rubbing your nose or mouth with contaminated hands though, so they do serve some purpose. but you could just as easily wash your hands frequently and achieve nearly the same effects.
trouble
Masks feel good when you have a cold, keeping the air you breathe a little warmer.
If masks have no effect on transmitting anything, why does doctors and nurses wear them? As a fashion statement?
Kurobune
@sillygirl - My Japanese mother-in-law used to tell me that I was no sicker at work than I was at home. Bless her heart.
badsey3
All the good looking girls that do not want to be noticed or bothered wear these "masks". Guys/researchers just have not picked up on that yet. This is truly an under-appreciated market and the Muslim nations are way way ahead on the technology and style of head-scarves and masks.
For work the white is defacto, but for walking around there is a untapped market. Look at Muslims in Indonesia and Malaysia for a better example.
serendipitous
I still reckon masks weaken the body's natural defenses. We need to suck in all the bad stuff to be able to build resistance to it!
therougou
Well a lot of girls put on really good eye makeup or whatever. Figure can also be hidden somewhat by clothes, especially in the winter. For a lot of Japanese, the mouth certainly isn't all that. But surely if they were conscious of this, they would take other methods such as dental care, etc?
Myhumbletake
I've always felt girls wearing makes are disgusting.
Myhumbletake
Masks*
shonanbb
Excellent way to hide food chunks in the teeth. Warm and rancid and stops the smell too.
Masks sort of remind me of ISIS and the Taliban.
timtak
If the masks covered everything then Japanese might rate them more attractive, since when asked to imagine an imaginary other they rate that other highly (Hamamura, Heine, Takemoto, 2007). This may also explain why the average ratings were low.