How face mask wearing affects the sense of self: breathing as a case of disrupted bodily self-consciousness

Abstract

This pioneer study focuses on the feedback effect that the face mask has on its wearer’s sense of Self (i.e. bodily Self-consciousness) caused by its multisensorial components and affordances which are taken into account from a first-person perspective approach. On the grounds of enactivism and Material Engagement Theory, we run qualitative semi-structured interviews recruiting 48 participants: 24 people had no experience using lower face coverings before COVID-19 pandemic (February 2020) and 24 people were hospital workers with such prior experience. Results show that face mask wearing dramatically updates bodily Self-consciousness retroacting on breathing experience, with differences between the two groups. This is consistent with evidence showing that breathing is “transparent” unless bodily, environmental, and/or emotional changes arouse a situated awareness of it. We conclude that the face mask performs a retroactive effect, which we explained as due to a “material performative agency” that significantly modifies the standard balance between the transparency and the opacity of our bodily Self-consciousness.