Ruben talks with World News, ABC about impact of masks on human perceptions
Mollie Ruben, an assistant professor of psychology and director of the Emotion, Pain and Interpersonal Communication Lab at the University of Maine, spoke with the BBC World News and ABC News for a story about the impact of face coverings on our perceptions of strangers. Ruben conducted a study asking 1,000 participants to rate the friendliness and intelligence of strangers depicted with and without masks. According to Ruben, most participants described the masked faces as more amiable and intelligent. Good Morning America and EverettPost.com shared the ABC story.