Mask wearing increases eye involvement during smiling: a facial EMG study

How does the use of a face mask influence our daily communication?

• Although a part of Japanese culture since the Meiji Era (1868–1912), face mask usage has only recently become ubiquitous across the world during the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2.

• Facial expression is one of the most efficient channels to communicate our feelings to others. Among these expressions, smiling is a fundamental facial expression to communicate positive affect.

• A smile results when the corners of the mouth are raised by the contraction of the zygomaticus major. It strongly influences attention, brain activity, and various behaviors in others.

• As the mask hides the mouth, it is perhaps unsurprising that recent studies have argued that facial mask-wearing interferes with the recognition of the wearer’s emotion and impression.

• In this project, researchers investigated the effect of face mask-wearing on facial expression, including the area around the eyes.

• They measured surface electromyography from zygomaticus major, orbicularis oculi, and depressor anguli oris muscles when people smiled and talked with or without a mask.

• Only the actions of the orbicularis oculi were facilitated by wearing the mask. We thus concluded that mask-wearing may increase the recruitment of the eyes during smiling.

• In other words, we can express joy and happiness even when wearing a face mask.

Published: 13 October 2021

source:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-99872-y

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99872-y