Months after the reopening of the city and the removal of pandemic restrictions, several residents continue to wear a mask. Comfort, uncertainty and fear for health are some of the reasons given by the psychology department at the University of São José
“Based on my experience and on some conversations I had with some students and people, I have the idea that in some people this may be related to the sense of ‘I’,” says the Head of the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of São José, Professor Vitor Teixeira.
“After three years of wearing a mask, some people may feel “naked or exposed”, and it is possible that they may not know who they are in public without a mask”.
The same professor cites a response from the Artificial Intelligence system, ChatGPT, that there is currently no scientific evidence to suggest that people who wear face masks for a long period of time have developed a psychological dependence.
“However, it is possible that some individuals feel more comfortable or safer when wearing a mask and experience a certain degree of anxiety or discomfort when they do not use it”, indicates the program.
“It is also worth noting that some people may have experienced pandemic-related trauma or anxiety, and wearing a mask can provide a sense of control or security in an uncertain situation. In some cases, this can lead to a sense of attachment to the mask as a resilience mechanism.”
In the opinion of Angus Kuok, Coordinator of the Masters in Organizational Psychology at the university, one of the main reasons for continued use is “to avoid uncertainty”.
“Especially the Chinese who have less acceptance for uncertainty […] I don’t think anyone in Macao can give a right answer to any of these questions, so to avoid uncertainty, it’s better to do something according to the experience of the last three continue to wear a mask for years”, he describes.
Professor Maria Rita Silva, Coordinator of the Bachelor of Psychology at the USJ, points out that Macau is characterized by a high “collectivism and distance from power”, which means that belonging to groups is valued and that there is deference to the authorities.
“It can be considered a rigid society, a society where the rules are rigid and rule-breaking is consistently penalized. With the control measures of the Covid-19 pandemic being emphasized by the authorities in the last three years, the use of masks has become socially institutionalized and people have learned to conform to this behavior”, she adds.
“Today, the use of masks is perceived by the local population as the ‘right thing to do’. It is possible that wearing a mask in public will be perceived, more than serving the practical purpose of controlling the spread of Covid-19, as a virtue signaling behavior, a way of showing others that one is an upstanding member of society. ”
collectivism and conformity
Cynthia Leong, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Health Sciences, points out that it is necessary to assess the culture in which an individual grew up and still lives.
“People who grew up and live in a collectivist culture place more emphasis on the needs and rights of the group (to which they belong), on the harmony of relationships with others, on the self-esteem of the group, their emotional experience depends on social value and social reality”, he adds.
“Their fundamental motivations are believed to be to avoid losing respect, because the respect of others can be easily lost and difficult to regain.”
Another faculty speaker, Joana Costa, indicates that in Asia and Macau, wearing a mask “is not something new and therefore, for the majority of the population, it may not be perceived as something disturbing/out of the ordinary” in comparison, for example, with the western world.
“Before the pandemic, it was common to wear a mask when you were sick. Post-pandemic, possibly having been in a Covid-19-free bubble for so long (again, compared to most of the world that did not close borders and deal with the worst/initial waves of Covid-19), has now become It is acceptable to wear a mask for both prevention and protection,” he adds.
“Although they are a minority, people who have not (yet) been infected may wear face masks out of fear/to prevent infection. Furthermore, those who are not fully vaccinated, with at least two doses, may also feel at greater risk, fearing catching Covid-19 for the first or even second time. Likewise, people with weak immune systems or family members can wear face masks for protection.”
On the other hand, she admits that the majority of the population may still be wearing face masks as a method of group compliance.
“Even if they don’t necessarily wear face masks as a virtue-signaling behavior (showing that they respect the health of others, for example), they may feel compelled to continue wearing them, as most people on the streets of Macau they do it and don’t want to feel like strangers/criticized for not using it”, he says.
