Face masks have been a precious ally in preventing the spread of Covid-19. However, notwithstanding their primary function not being social, by covering part of the face, the most salient organ in social exchanges, face masks also inevitably alter our social interactions in relevant respects. In this essay, I first provide a historical-philosophical analysis of face masks qua medical tool. I then review and comment on what psychologists and other social scientists say on what social information the mask subtracts or adds to human face perception. Finally, I conclude by highlighting some implications of masked face perception and by speculating about the future use of face mask
Viola, M. (2022). La nostra vita (sociale) con la mascherina. In V.C. Soro Elsa (a cura di), I cronotopi del volto (pp. 83-112).
La nostra vita (sociale) con la mascherina
Viola M
2022-01-01
Abstract
Face masks have been a precious ally in preventing the spread of Covid-19. However, notwithstanding their primary function not being social, by covering part of the face, the most salient organ in social exchanges, face masks also inevitably alter our social interactions in relevant respects. In this essay, I first provide a historical-philosophical analysis of face masks qua medical tool. I then review and comment on what psychologists and other social scientists say on what social information the mask subtracts or adds to human face perception. Finally, I conclude by highlighting some implications of masked face perception and by speculating about the future use of face maskI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
