Since March, when the coronavirus pandemic was declared a threat to the whole world, masks have become a part of our lives. The feeling of suddenly seeing masked people on the streets is almost the same: Like in a science fiction movie.
So, as we approach the end of our 8th month in the pandemic, where has our relationship with the mask reached? How does the mask affect our psychology? How did the loss of facial expressions in daily communication with the mask lead to a situation?
It is also possible to see that everyone has developed different attitudes towards wearing masks; those who refuse to wear masks, even resist, those who wear masks only when they see the police, those who wear them on their arms, those who wear them compulsorily and those who adapt to the process...
Stating that the mask makes it difficult to use and read facial expressions, Psychologist Selvinaz Çınar Parlak from Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital said that eye contact and words have become more important in communication. In other words, we no longer have facial expressions that we can quickly understand the emotions of the people in front of us.
"It is possible to communicate effectively with other communication channels such as eye contact and verbal communication while masked," Parlak said, adding that intonation has an important place against misunderstandings, as the mask also makes it difficult to transmit the voice. According to Parlak, we need to pay more attention to verbal communication skills such as tone of voice, emphasis and correct expression.
Parents beware! They wear each other's masksParents beware! They wear each other's masks
"LISTENING SKILLS WILL ALSO BE STRENGTHENED"
"Especially on the street, while shopping, in the minibus, communication established quickly with short expressions and body language is being replaced by longer expressions and verbal transmission. This will increase the need for verbal expression and contribute to its development." According to Parlak, this will also strengthen people's listening skills.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the use of masks has emerged as a necessity and for a long time people have been using masks to protect themselves from the virus. We can observe that people have mostly adapted to this new normal and have made a habit of wearing masks, and in this sense, mask use has become part of the daily routine. However, despite the passage of a long time, there are also people who cannot get used to the use of masks and cannot adapt.
There are people who experience anxiety when using masks, who do not want to look at the world through a mask, who cannot adapt to the new normal or reject the new reality. The use of masks is also good for the fear of being infected and makes people feel safer. In this sense, a mask is something that is good for the anxiety of being infected. However, people who deny, ignore and ignore the existing virus threat prefer not to wear masks, which shows that they cannot adapt to the new normal. People with high anxiety about being infected with the virus also have difficulty using masks due to intense anxiety about the protection of the mask, and may experience intense anxiety when wearing a mask. In short, people with high anxiety levels or those who ignored reality and rejected the threat and anxiety could not get used to masked life.
At the beginning of the pandemic, walking around with a mask caused anxiety in people and they had difficulty in performing their normal daily routines with a mask, but now we see that daily routines continue with the use of masks. The state of anxiety caused by the mask at the beginning and its reflection on behavior has gradually decreased. In Far Eastern countries, the use of masks in daily routine had become a natural habit for many years. After the pandemic, the mask is losing its old meaning in other countries of the world. The perception of the disease has started to give a sense of confidence instead of anxiety and fear. People will feel safer with a mask. Although only the mouth and nose are covered, the mask has made it difficult to use and read facial expressions. Eye contact and verbal communication became more important in communication. Especially facial expression provides a quick understanding of emotions, but facial expression may not be understood with a mask. Therefore, the mask disrupts non-verbal communication channels such as body language use and facial expression. However, it is possible to communicate effectively with other communication channels such as eye contact and verbal communication. In mask communication, the ability to verbalize becomes more important than ever, and it is easier to be misunderstood. However, since the mask also makes the transmission of the voice more difficult, tone of voice and intonation are now more important. Therefore, we should pay more attention to verbal communication skills such as tone of voice, emphasis and correct expression.
Since the use of masks makes it difficult to read facial expressions, verbal expression has become more effective. We focus more on details such as the correct choice of words, correct intonation, emphasis and tone of voice. In this sense, we can strengthen verbal communication skills, people need to express themselves more verbally. Especially on the street, while shopping, in the minibus, communication established quickly with short expressions and body language is replaced by longer expressions and verbal transfer. This will increase the need for verbal expression and contribute to its development. This will also strengthen listening skills.
