The influence of wearing a mask on the projected first impressions and attractiveness levels of smiling individuals.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of mask wearing on facial attractiveness and projected first impressions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A total of eight models were evaluated by 200 live raters and 750 online raters both with and without masks while smiling maximally. Both live and online raters looked at the models for 15 s, then completed a first impressions questionnaire.

Results: Overall ratings for attractiveness were higher for both masked and unmasked conditions in-person versus online. Males were perceived more favorably both in impressions and attractiveness online when masked, whereas in person they were more favorable when unmasked. Females were perceived more favorably in impressions when unmasked both online and in person, but their attractiveness rating was higher when masked both online and in person. Regardless of gender and masking state, all first impressions were more favorable in person versus online. The differences were statistically significant (all p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Face masks have different effects for males versus females in both an online and in-person setting. Men are perceived more positively in-person when they smile unmasked while they are better ranked online when they smile masked. Females are better perceived in all domains other than attractiveness when smiling unmasked both online and in person. To optimize first impressions, individuals should seek to meet in person whenever possible when forming new relationships.