I have noticed ,since we all started wearing masks in problem a strange(ish) phenomenon.

 

I feel uncomfortable not just because I cannot see others' facial expressions but  also because my own are not in view.

Until now I was not aware that I was making continuous facial expressions ,whether in public or in private but with the new regime it has become more apparent to me .

 

Is this  par for the course or is it possibly evidence   for what I have heard referred  to as "myeyetis" whether the sufferer imagines he or she is being observed by others whereas they are probably not doing so or  ,if they are only cursorily?

 

I am not at risk of  turning  into anything like the last president of the USA , am I?

 

😒

I’m struggling to parse your question. Masks remove a source of social,information, the physical cue of facial expressions. This changes the dynamic a bit, even though much information can still be conveyed through the eyes. 

Are you saying you had an anxiety previously that people were watching you when out in public, and now that you’ve been wearing a mask that conclusion feels less likely to be true?

56 minutes ago, geordief said:

I am not at risk of  turning  into anything like the last president of the USA , am I?

You tell me? 

Did you ever talk to a mirror that replied?

14 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

You tell me? 

Did you ever talk to a mirror that replied?

No (maybe I should put a smart/sassy  mirror on my shopping  list)

3 minutes ago, geordief said:

No (maybe I should put a smart/sassy  mirror on my shopping  list)

Well, that told me.

1 hour ago, geordief said:

I am not at risk of  turning  into anything like the last president of the USA , am I?

Maybe...

1 minute ago, dimreepr said:

 

Maybe...

Can I get a (a)trophy wife with a separate bank account?

2 minutes ago, geordief said:

Can I get a (a)trophy wife with a separate bank account?

Wait, what was the question?

54 minutes ago, iNow said:

I’m struggling to parse your question. Masks remove a source of social,information, the physical cue of facial expressions. This changes the dynamic a bit, even though much information can still be conveyed through the eyes. 

Are you saying you had an anxiety previously that people were watching you when out in public, and now that you’ve been wearing a mask that conclusion feels less likely to be true?

No , I don't have that anxiety. I know those who do ,though. 

 

I don't feel anxious at all personally  ,but it does seem awkward and ,as I think I suggested in the OP  I am more aware of the "micro facial expressions" I make  even when they are invisible  (I have ongoing thoughts and notice these  accompanying facial expressions that  would normally be on view to  the public but now are not)

 

9 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

Wait, what was the question?

The question to which you replied "Maybe..."    was   "I am not at risk of  turning  into anything like the last president of the USA , am I?"

 

But I don't want to turn this thread into a series of quips

Edited November 11, 20205 yr by geordief

3 minutes ago, geordief said:

But I don't want to turn this thread into a series of quips

Then why start that way?

"There is nothing in the desert and no man needs nothing."

7 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

Then why start that way?

"There is nothing in the desert and no man needs nothing."

One doesn't need to be a prisoner of one's past.

I began the OP with a serious question that I lightened with a bit of humour at the end but I want to keep the focus  on the serious question.

2 minutes ago, geordief said:

I began the OP with a serious question that I lightened with a bit of humour at the end but I want to keep the focus  on the serious question.

Ask it again, but without the humour; I don't get it, with...

Masks remove a huge source of information that complements and can even supercede the verbal message. I find it almost as bad as communicating by telephone, a process I have always found limiting because of the exclusion of body language.

1 hour ago, geordief said:

I feel uncomfortable not just because I cannot see others' facial expressions but  also because my own are not in view.

I can relate to that. On Skype/Messenger calls, pre-Covid, I nearly always engaged my video, even if my correspondent remained invisible. I found I could speak more fluently having someone to look at, even if it was just myself.

4 minutes ago, Area54 said:

even if it was just myself.

Imagine that... 😉

5 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

Imagine that... 😉

Talking to myself is the best way of ensuring intelligent conversation.

1 minute ago, Area54 said:

Talking to myself is the best way of ensuring intelligent conversation.

And the quips continue...

1 hour ago, dimreepr said:

And the quips continue...

!

Moderator Note

If you're tired, stop posting and go to bed. 

 

Good call Phi, sorry guy's. 

We may miss a few subtle hints behind the mask, but it's called body language for a reason and even a head shot on zoom with a mask contains enough information to avoid a social faux pas. 

Worth it, I think, given the context.