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    What Are The Consequences Of Wearing A Face Mask?

    For the past year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, there is a new accessory introduced to our lifestyle – it is a face mask.

    The medical health experts have advised people to maintain social distancing while wearing a face mask to avoid spreading of covid-19.

    But it is not that easy to adapt to this new normal. Most people do not find it comfortable to communicate while wearing a mask and others may not be able to listen to the message clearly due to this new layer of the barrier. There are so many consequences associated with wearing a face mask; a few of them are listed below to boost your awareness.

    Problems for the hearing impaired

    There is one group that is mostly avoided while discussing the communication barriers associated with wearing face masks; they are people with hearing impairments. Reports reveal that there are more than 466 million people with hearing loss around the world. Many of them usually try to read the lips of the communicator to understand the message. But the face masks create more odds for them while preventing lip reading. If the person is able to listen up to some extent, then also he may experience stress due to this additional layer of communication barrier.

    At the same time, face masks have created difficulty for people that wear hearing aids because it usually creates hindrance with the act of wearing and taking off masks time and again. The face mask loops make it more challenging to handle hearing aids all day long.

    Difficulty in expressing emotions

    Face masks are not only troublesome for the hearing-impaired population; rather at the same time, they cause hindrance in interpersonal communication as well. Facial expressions play important role in communication. The relevant changes in facial appearance as per the emotions involved in the communication are also explained in the Facial Action Coding System. Some of the most common facial movements are jaw drop, the lip tightening, and the nose wrinkle.

    In general, the middle and lower facesare recognized as the most essential emotional expression zones. But when we wear masks, these areas get covered, and then it gets difficult to understand the emotions of the speaker. The listener cannot determine whether the person is disgusted, scared, surprised, or angry.

    At the same time, watching some positive emotions around such as smiles usually help to ease anxiety. These emotions are more important in doctor-patient relationships as experts may find it easier to understand the stress levels and difficulty of the person in pain. The face masks are causing difficulty in expressing emotions which is further the main cause of increasing cases of depression and anxiety.

    Complications for children in face reading

    For kids, looking at the face of their parents and other members of the family works as a strong stimulus during the initial development stages. Children often try to extract information from people’s faces and slowly learn to process those emotions to understand situations and moods.

    In the recent past, few researchers conducted a study where people were made to wear hats while meeting children and it showed a considerable difference in the ability to recognize facial emotions. This addition led to great disruption in the development.

    When we talk about the masks, they cause covering of the entire bottom half of the human face. Therefore, children find it hard to understand someone. Many times, children also find these masks frustrating on the face of their parents and loved ones. If these practices are followed for a longer time, it may be very dangerous for the normal development of kids. Therefore, it is better to find a reliable alternative or a transparent solution to lead a healthy conversation and easy exchange of emotions.

    Transparent masks: a reliable solution to ease communication

    Although medical health professionals are making hard efforts to initiate a fight against Covid-19, it is still important to find some alternatives to face masks. One of the best solutions to avoid the communication barrier is wearing a clear mask such as Jelli. These specially designed masks can be a great relief to the hearing-impaired population as they can read the face of the speaker with ease. The ability to see someone’s lips clearly is the biggest reason to adapt to the transparent masks.

    The clear face masks can allow you to share smiles again while bringing back the emotional connections with communities. A clear mask can ease communications while ensuring safety during the tough times of the coronavirus pandemic. Moreover, these masks are easier to wear and do not cause discomfort even if you use them for long hours every day. The Jelli masks can help you share your thoughts and emotions with more confidence without experiencing difficulties in expressing details.