[Book Sip] Why Wearing a Mask Makes You Look More Beautiful: 'Pandemic Brain'

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of the book itself, while others instantly reach the reader's heart, creating a connection with the book. We introduce such meaningful sentences excerpted from the book. - Editor's note

Although COVID-19 prevention guidelines have been relaxed, the "largest social isolation experiment in history," which forced participation from people worldwide, is still ongoing. Questions and concerns about how the coronavirus and the pandemic situation have affected our brains and cognitive functions, and how long these effects will last, remain unresolved. Does COVID-19 really damage our brains? How long do the aftereffects last after recovery? Are the cognitive developments of newborns born during the pandemic, who are accustomed to masked faces and have grown up attending remote classes, okay? What scientific methods exist to recover brain functions impaired by the pandemic? The author has directly researched hundreds of studies in psychology, brain science, and neuroscience on topics that people have wondered or worried about at least once during the COVID era, organizing the results and data to present them in an easy-to-understand manner.

Polar explorers dispatched to Germany's Neumayer Station III in Antarctica lived isolated from the outside world for 14 months. After their stay in Antarctica ended, MRI scans of their brains showed that the size of the hippocampus, which is related to memory, had decreased by about 7% compared to before going to Antarctica. Although not as noticeable as the hippocampus, some brain regions near the hippocampus also tended to shrink.

It was not only the brain size that decreased. Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) also decreased. As its name suggests, BDNF is a substance that helps the growth and development of the brain's nervous system and plays an important role in learning and memory. -〈pp. 52?54〉

The cognitive function test scores of babies born from 2011 to 2019 ranged roughly between 98 and 107 points, with a standard deviation of 15 to 19 points. Since the test scores were standardized with an average of 100 points and a standard deviation of 15 points, babies born before 2020 received scores within the expected range. However, babies born in 2020 and 2021 scored lower on the same tests. Babies born in 2020 averaged 86 points, and those born in 2021 averaged 78.9 points. Moreover, boys tended to show a larger drop in scores than girls. (Omitted)

An interesting fact is that babies born just before 2020 did not experience a significant drop in test scores. These babies experienced most of their short lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering that only babies born after 2020 showed lower cognitive function test scores, it is highly likely that being in the mother's womb or just born during the pandemic period is the cause. -〈pp. 86?87〉

Features such as clear skin, bilateral symmetry, and appearance close to the average are interpreted as indicators of biological health. Therefore, wearing a mask hides facial asymmetry or unattractive features, making the appearance look better. (Omitted)

Another reason masked faces appear more attractive is due to the brain's interpretation. When part of the face is covered, our brain tries to predict what information is hidden. If it is a familiar face, the brain can use remembered information, but if it is a stranger, it cannot. Without any information, to predict the covered face, the brain assumes features like the mouth, nose, and face shape and draws the entire face based on this information. In other words, instead of some parts of a less attractive face, the brain estimates a more attractive average face and evaluates the whole face accordingly. -〈pp. 115?117〉

Pandemic Brain | Written by Jeong Su-geun | Bookie | 260 pages | 16,800 KRW