It seems a foregone conclusion that face mask-wearing hinders the interpretation of facial expressions, increasing the risk of interpersonal miscommunication. This research identifies a notable counter-case to this apparent truism. In multiple experiments, perceivers were more accurate distinguishing between genuine and fake smiles when the mouth region was concealed under a mask versus exposed. Masks improved accuracy by shielding perceivers from the undue influence of non-diagnostic cues hidden behind masks. However, perceivers were unaware of the advantage bestowed by masks, holding, instead, the misbelief that masks severely obscure the distinction between genuine and fake smiles. Furthermore, these patterns proved to be culturally invariant rather than culturally contingent, holding true for both Westerners and Easterners.

中文翻译：

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口罩有助于区分真笑和假笑——但人们的看法恰恰相反


戴口罩会阻碍对面部表情的解读，增加人际沟通不畅的风险，这似乎已成定局。这项研究为这一显而易见的真理找到了一个值得注意的反例。在多项实验中，当嘴部区域隐藏在面具下而不是暴露在外时，感知者能够更准确地区分真笑和假笑。面具通过保护感知者免受隐藏在面具后面的非诊断线索的不当影响来提高准确性。然而，感知者并没有意识到口罩所带来的好处，反而错误地认为口罩严重模糊了真笑和假笑之间的区别。此外，事实证明，这些模式在文化上是不变的，而不是文化偶然的，对西方人和东方人都适用。