Face mask: implications for individual–society relationship

Coronavirus has changed the world as we know it, from basic daily tasks to the way we interact with each other. Faced with a rate of spread beyond our capacity to respond, the need to stop and control the disease has become pressing. This entailed the application of preventive measures, such as hand antisepsis, social isolation, and, among others, the use of prophylactic masks. Thus, COVID-19 created a new normal, changing the way people interact, although there is still interaction, during the past two years it happened, most of the time, with the use of face masks. Despite being a preventive measure against the spread of the virus, this has been controversial and a cause for concern. We conducted a classic literature review exploring the factors influencing the decision to wear a mask or not, consequences of mask use face and emotion recognition, as well as in social interaction.