Re:Suicide has become rarer during the pandemic
by sunshineforever on Friday April 23, 2021 @10:51PM
(#26921837)
I actually think that covering faces reduces stress. People ate able to have their boundaries and not feek pressured to smile for strangers when they don't want to.
In 2021, a person having a bad mental health day can wrap their face up and not have to deal with anyone. Possibly taking a lot of pressure out of a critical tipping point of mental distress.
Re:Suicide has become rarer during the pandemic
by brnt on Saturday April 24, 2021 @12:49AM
(#26922327)
At least in normal people, the act of smiling releases some chemicals to make you feel better. Smiling at strangers therefore only feels oppressive to those who already have an underlying issue such as depression. I would therefore not say this is the general case: that it reduces stress.
I have noticed little sympathy for this here on HN, as well as in interviews with scientific advisors to my own government (who tell the journalist things like "masks are just a thin little layer of fabric, they have no drawbacks whatsoever!"). Often people point to Asia as a reason people should not feel any unease in a mask, but the smile famously plays a rather different role in Asian body language than in the West.