Covid May Be The First Reason People Started Wearing Face Masks, But People In This Online Group Discovered 30 More Advantages Of Them
While professions like doctor and engineer have been, for safety and security reasons, making their workers wear masks, the pandemic has pretty much made it into a standard thing, so for most it has felt quite unreal to be wearing them everywhere they went.
However, while it is a bit of an inconvenience—especially for those who wear glasses—the pros surely outweigh the cons, and there is actually quite a sizable number of people who enjoy wearing a mask, and would most likely continue wearing them for non-COVID reasons.
People of Reddit have been discussing just that—reasons why people like to wear masks, outside necessity due to the pandemic. And, believe it or not, quite a lot of people found ample reasons to wear a mask, sharing these reasons with the internet.
Bored Panda has collected the best and most interesting answers to the AskReddit question what’s a non-COVID reason that you like wearing a mask for? and created a curated list that you can find below. So, check it out, vote, comment, and let us know if you prefer wearing a mask more than just to keep yourself safe from airborne diseases.
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It greatly decreases the amount of times that I've been told by men to, "SMILE".
Protection from other illnesses too like during flu season. So many people go out and about even while sick without a mask (pre covid). I wish it could become a new normal to wear a mask if you're feeling sick and have to go out, even after mask mandates end.
I can talk to myself without people seeing my mouth move.
I thought I was the only one! I mouth things I want to say but really shouldn’t, and that is gonna be hard to stop.
Its nice and warm in the winter
Guess it depends on the climate and the material your mask is made of. Mine get all literally wet, like, water inside the mask, because of my breath condensation. It does get less painful to breath the dry cold air, though, this one I admit. It kinda feels like burning inside your nose when exposed directly. Anyway, I'm not an anti-masker, but I keep looking forward to going back to wearing masks only when feeling sick. It's uncomfortable, and I miss my make-up too. u.u
Asthma. Breathing is easier if I don’t have to smell peoples crappy perfume.
I have pollen allergies, mask helps a TON
I'm a fresh heart transplant patient and I'm required to wear one in public for the first year. Not strictly COVID, but literally any pissbaby infection that most anyone can shrug off could end me at this stage.
It allows me to pull faces at people who annoy me at the grocery store without repercussions. Which actually makes the whole process more pleasant.
Remember not to do it, when the mask mandate lifts. A friend told me.
Am autistic, makes it much easier to be around people because you don't have to worry about what your face is doing.
Thank you! My son has autism and never, ever wants to take it off. He has even slept in it
Yeah, but then I can’t tell what people are feeling, and get worried that they are mad at me because that’s what their eyes look like, but they might just be squinting and it’s annoying
Don't have autism(to my knowledge), but I too love masks for this reason!
I'm also autistic and have found myself making strange facial expressions at the wrong time, so this is totally a good reason for me.
I feel this, ADHD, Autism running in my family, and severe (but well hidden) social anxiety
I'm gutted as I'm autistic but the opposite. I can't wear a mask due to huuuuuuge sensitivity around anything touching or being near my face, can't even wear a scarf. I struggle with hats even but have to as I was really clii oh we to frostbite one winter and don't want to go through that again. I hate it
You poor thing. There's autism and there's autism! I have one amazing autistic son who will wear a shirt with no cape when I give him a haircut then just go back to what he was doing (he's the one who's even been known to sleep with his mask on - but oddly won't do face paint, which is tricky in army cadets!) I have another gorgeous autistic son who has to do haircuts topless because he can NEVER WEAR THE SHIRT AGAIN. Hopefully you can get a medical exemption and take advantage of those of us who can wear masks to keep you safe. Xx
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It’s half and half for me, great I don’t have to worry about my facial expression, not so great that I can’t see peoples face properly and tell how they feel (plus a lot of masks make my autism go crazy with the texture of them which is fun)
Hiding my face. Just going about my business, DON'T LOOK AT ME!
Don’t look at me. Don’t acknowledge me. I don’t exist. *fades back into the shadows*
Don’t have to put on a full face of makeup. Fill in my eyebrows, put on mascara and I’m good!
thecheese14326 said:
Anxiety
bitfarb replied:
This right here. Combined with my hat I feel so much more comfortable doing my shopping. I'm out in the open, but still in my protective cocoon. Covid has been nothing but stress, but oddly it's the most comfortable and confident I've felt in public.
Mouthing along to the song I’m singing in my head without getting weird looks
I don't have to mind my expression as much. Like... normally, people can see your mouth and it's expected to have certain expressions. I don't have to sweat that as much with a mask on.
I drink coffee and don't have the best oral hygiene. Used to be that sometimes I'd realize that my breath was bad while talking and it would destroy my confidence. Now the mask takes care of that. Not only does it mask the odor well, but it makes me more cognizant of it. And my oral hygiene has actually improved for it...
Wearing a mask gives my completely deaf right ear something worthwhile to do. As I can't hear anything through it, that ear's only other function is to add handsomeness and symmetry.
Whenever I’m concentrating or working on a task I tend to stick my tongue out or leave my mouth open and I really like it when people don’t see that
It keeps me from biting my nails or anxiously picking my face.
It hides my teeth
Black mask goes hard with my outfit and hairstyle
Actually, yes, in Korea, you could see young men / boys wearing masks as a fashion statement even before the corona. After the pandemic hit, I even saw some confessions on YT about how they feel about it. Like, "I used to wear it to look cool, but now, this was unexpected..." stuff like that.
Covers my double chin
Yes, and anyone who has dental issues. Masks help so much with insecurities, when it comes to missing teeth.
My room is dry and I have been having a lot of bloody noses..if I wear a mask to bed the dry air doesn’t get to my nose and it keeps my face warm lol
ooh i need to try this... i also get bloody noses in dry air, but haven't thought of wearing it to bed.
I was in New York a month ago (I live in Florida). It wasn’t cold enough for New Yorkers to wear scarfs yet, but it felt like it to me because I live in the south. So wearing a face mask was a handy way to warm my face without looking like a tourist lol
I have a massive gag reflex that gets really sensitive in the winter, especially when moving from a warm air environment out into a cold air environment. Winter for me means painful retching and a bit of vomiting 2 to 3 times a day since I was 14 (27 now). Since wearing masks, the air I breathe is warmer and my gag-reflex calms down.
Also, with an FFP2 mask, no more black bogies bogeys when using the London Underground.
In the summer, it reduced my hay fever symptoms massively.
Nobody notices if I didn't shave
I've waxed my upper lip like maybe twice in the past two years. It's great to not worry about the fact that I'm a woman with a moustache that would make some men jealous.
If I'm not feeling a tinder date I just put my mask on for the walk back to the bus/taxi/car and I don't have to worry about him going in for the kiss! If I like him I leave it off, it is great!
Wow, just realised I'm massively uncomfortable with the thought of going on a date and kissing a stranger in the middle of a global pandemic. Eww, keep all of your nasty germs to yourself, thanks.
Nasty smell in subway
Note: this post originally had 33 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I’ve gotten strep, the flu, pneumonia, and a bunch of other respiratory diseases, yet I haven’t gotten covid or really even anything worse than a cold since we started wearing masks
And you've made the medical community very happy by noticing that correlative effect. :-)
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Masks are important, and I wear mine diligently. However, I'm looking forward to wearing them only when feeling sick, like we used to before the pandemic. It will feel a bit weird at first ehehehe
Guess so ... but, things aren't looking like the end is in sight. In my workplace (currently, external CAD'er, so I am the outsider, the non-permanent - that might change, but no one knows yet), there still is a mask mandate inside the building, unless you're at your desk and alone. Some obey, some very loudly don't and I'm seriously fed up with this. Corona COULD be over, if people acted reasonably this one, only one time. Yet, they act rational as within an irrational system, defend said system and find something oppressive in a literally life-saving piece of cloth. They're nuts. People in general are nuts.
Load More Replies... Let's see, witha ll the time I spend in or around sick people ---- and that's not including the hospital? .... Yeah, I've been used to masking/gloving/etc. for so long that it's just my normal. It's not "fun", per se, but neither are infectious diseases!
Yes! I don't have t look presentable lol. I wear a mask sunglasses a big long coat and a hat.
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as a barber, i do not have to smell your overnight curry infused hair because you work as a kitchen staff, and your bad breath. no need for small talks. in and out.
People in Asian nations have been wearing masks, long before this pandemic started. Many do it because of the high volume of pollution in their region. I'll keep wearing a mask, because of hoomans
Last summer we got forest fire smoke from over 300 km away - it travels far on the prairies. I was walking home from the store and the smoke was overwhelming until I put my mask back on. Didn't block all of it, but enough.
Yes, where I live in Australia we got used to wearing masks just before the pandemic started due to the bushfires.
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I’ve gotten strep, the flu, pneumonia, and a bunch of other respiratory diseases, yet I haven’t gotten covid or really even anything worse than a cold since we started wearing masks
And you've made the medical community very happy by noticing that correlative effect. :-)
Load More Replies... Masks are important, and I wear mine diligently. However, I'm looking forward to wearing them only when feeling sick, like we used to before the pandemic. It will feel a bit weird at first ehehehe
Guess so ... but, things aren't looking like the end is in sight. In my workplace (currently, external CAD'er, so I am the outsider, the non-permanent - that might change, but no one knows yet), there still is a mask mandate inside the building, unless you're at your desk and alone. Some obey, some very loudly don't and I'm seriously fed up with this. Corona COULD be over, if people acted reasonably this one, only one time. Yet, they act rational as within an irrational system, defend said system and find something oppressive in a literally life-saving piece of cloth. They're nuts. People in general are nuts.
Load More Replies... Let's see, witha ll the time I spend in or around sick people ---- and that's not including the hospital? .... Yeah, I've been used to masking/gloving/etc. for so long that it's just my normal. It's not "fun", per se, but neither are infectious diseases!
Yes! I don't have t look presentable lol. I wear a mask sunglasses a big long coat and a hat.
Load More Replies... as a barber, i do not have to smell your overnight curry infused hair because you work as a kitchen staff, and your bad breath. no need for small talks. in and out.
People in Asian nations have been wearing masks, long before this pandemic started. Many do it because of the high volume of pollution in their region. I'll keep wearing a mask, because of hoomans
Last summer we got forest fire smoke from over 300 km away - it travels far on the prairies. I was walking home from the store and the smoke was overwhelming until I put my mask back on. Didn't block all of it, but enough.
Yes, where I live in Australia we got used to wearing masks just before the pandemic started due to the bushfires.
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