If you’re one of the people out there who still refuse to wear a facemask to protect yourself and others from the coronavirus, a new study may have just given you an even better reason to finally put one on.
A small study out of Temple University’s College of Public Health and the Center for Human Appearance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine suggests people actually look hotter wearing facemasks.
The study asked 500 people to rank 60 “racially diverse” male and female faces on attractiveness. First they were asked to rank unmasked faces as either “unattractive,” “average” or “attractive.” Then facemasks were digitally added to the faces and they were asked to rate them again. What they found was that once masks were added both the male and female faces saw their attractiveness go up. In fact, those faces subjects initially deemed “unattractive” saw their average rating go up 42%, the most of any other category.
The study noted that facial symmetry and harmony are still major players when it comes to attractiveness. Those with “disharmonious” facial features were considered on the lower end of attractiveness, but with a mask their attractiveness went up.
