The man (or woman) in black

Want people around you to feel safe?  Wear a black mask.

Via the OZ twitter feed….a Fast Company article on research into how people perceive you depending on what mask you wear.  A University of South Florida study suggests that if you are worried about your physical appearance, it doesn’t matter.  As the lead author of the study states, “A person is of the same attractiveness whether they are in a mask or not.”   (I guess that’s either good news or bad news, depending on the person)

But if your goal is make other people feel safe, things get more interesting.  Black masks are perceived as the safest, with white ones very close behind.  There may be no statistically significant difference, really.  The next tier down, by a small margin, are colored, patterned, and blue surgical masks. Clear masks, however, are perceived as significantly less safe.

Some restaurants require staff to wear clear masks so patrons can see their faces. And those masks are especially useful for people with hearing impairments, who rely on watching a speaker’s lips. But something about seeing the mouth makes them seem permeable or something.  Of course, this is all unconscious and also bogus – mask safety is all about fit and materials. Color is functionally meaningless.

But maybe something about a black mask reminds people of a black hole, from which nothing can emerge.  The study author suggests white may suggest purity and cleanliness.