Investigation of the effect of using hygiene mask on the perception of facial attractiveness in the process of COVID-19 pandemic in terms of closeness of the face to average, sexual dimorphic features and morphometric measurements

One of the main purposes of this thesis study, to examine how the use of hygiene masks affects attractiveness perceptions for individual and composite faces. Another is to investigate the direction of the selections and the effect of the mask on this when individual faces and composite faces with different attractiveness levels are compared. In addition, it is to determine what kind of morphometric similarities and differences exist between the faces of the participants and the individuals they evaluate. The COVID-19 pandemic has a profound impact on all aspects of society, including mental and physical health. It has been stated that both the psychological and social effects of this pandemic are widespread, and that it will cause changes on people now and in the future. One of the vital behavioral measures to be taken during the pandemic process is the use of a hygiene mask. The literature shows that covering the face with a mask affects facial recognition skills and the ability to recognize emotional expressions. However, the perception of facial attractiveness, which has a critical place in the mate selection mechanism in humans, is also affected by the fact that the hygiene mask covers a part of the face. At this point, it is believed that the effect of covering composite faces with a hygiene mask, which has an important place in the facial attractiveness literature, on their attractiveness should be examined. In addition, morphometric studies of facial features used to obtain information on genetic similarity, which is a determining factor in mate selection, are also critical. For this reason, it is thought that it is important to compare the faces of individuals evaluated with attractiveness evaluators in terms of morphometric similarity and differences. This study consists of two separate experiments, and the first of the experiments is for the attractiveness assessments of individual and composite faces. Masked and unmasked forms of faces were evaluated based on attractiveness scores and reaction times. The second experiment is for comparing individual faces with different attractiveness levels and composite faces. These comparisons were made on both masked and unmasked forms. The preferences and reaction times of individuals in these comparisons were examined. Another analysis was carried out regarding the participants' own faces and faces that they considered attractive. The similarities and differences of the individuals and the faces they find attractive were examined over the metric ratios of the facial parts. In the first part of the study; The place of physical attractiveness and facial attractiveness perception in the literature is mentioned. In the context of the perception of facial attractiveness, the factors affecting this perception; The titles of symmetry, secondary sex characteristics, closeness to the population mean and genetic similarity were discussed. In the second part of the study; It was mentioned about the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of hygiene masks, the effects of the hygiene mask on the perception of face and facial attractiveness. In the third part, the aims and hypotheses of the study are explained, and in the fourth part, information about the method is given. In the fifth part, the findings are presented and in the sixth part, these findings are discussed. As a result; composite faces were rated as more attractive than individual faces for both genders. However, both women and men spent more time rating the attractiveness of composite faces than individual faces. In addition, the hygiene mask was effective on women's perception of attractiveness and increased their attractiveness points. In male participants, the mask effect was seen only for individual female faces. Individual female faces with masks were rated as more attractive than those without masks. On the other hand, the presence of the mask did not affect the time spent in scoring attractiveness for both genders. The effect of the mask on the faces whose unmasked forms were considered very attractive was that it reduced the attractiveness scores. When composite faces were presented with individual faces, women preferred composite male faces for all three attractiveness levels of individual faces. A similar pattern was seen for low and moderately attractive individual female faces in men. However, men's preferences for a highly attractive individual female face and a composite female face did not differ. These findings were valid for both masked and unmasked faces. In addition, for both men and women, the presence of composite faces in stimulus pairs was a factor that increased the rate of preference. When the pairs of faces were presented with or without a mask, the time spent by male individuals to make a choice did not differ. However, women preferred faster when the face pairs were presented without masks. The metric ratios of facial features, analyzed from a genetic perspective, showed similar patterns in men and women. Both men and women rated the opposite sex's face, which is more similar to their own, as moderately attractive. On the other hand, the faces that are not attractive to both genders and are found very attractive differ from the faces of the individuals themselves. This thesis study can be considered as a first in the literature in terms of some of the findings mentioned above. In addition, it can be said that it strengthens the field with its findings supporting the accepted information in the current literature on facial attractiveness.