Do Masks Affect Social Interaction?

We test the effect of mask-wearing on normal social interaction. College students (N=250) were assigned to find and interact with a previously unknown student in a lecture hall, converse and then evaluate the interaction. Half were randomly assigned to wear a blue surgical mask, sunglasses, and hat; half wore no extra gear. Run in 2012 before masks carried political meaning, mask wearing had almost no effect on the ease, authenticity, or friendliness of the conversation, mood, discomfort or interestingness of the interaction. Those without masks were more likely to find people on the basis of preference for shared social activities (e.g., going to the gym in groups); those wearing masks were more likely to find people by shared preference for more individual activities (e.g., going to the gym alone). Mask-wearing did not fundamentally disable normal social interaction in this setting.