Thread by @Wood_House76

Article written in April 2017 warns that acculturated masks can become addictive.

“People were wearing surgical masks not for the purposes they were intended for...but because they had grown used to living behind the anonymity of a mask.”
straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia…

“While some people used to feel safe or secure when going out with a mask, it has reached a stage where they cannot go out without wearing a mask. That's how serious it is getting," said Yuzo Kikumoto, a professional counselor who coined the term "mask dependency" in a 2009.

Now, compare what you read above with these excerpts from a NYT article this weekend.

Anyone else see “mask dependency”? nytimes.com/2021/05/15/us/…

Alarmingly, I’ve heard things like this from an increasing number of parents & teachers. Hope we can all agree that kids & teens becoming “mask dependent” is detrimental to their social & psychological health

cc: @TracyBethHoeg @Hold2LLC

Is it any wonder that so many people are showing signs of mask dependency when public health experts like Dr Faust modeled masking as an identity & obsession?

Continuing this mask dependency thread...

Anthony Fauci confessing that he was keeping his mask on post-vax to keep up appearances. Implies he wasn't "comfortable" with ppl seeing him unmasked indoors.

https://x.com/tomselliott/status/1394614545151414276?s=20

“Mask dependency” also characterizes these pedestrians’ explanations for why they’re still masking outdoors. Most seem to doubt or deny the efficacy of their vaccine

One man wishes there were a way he could tell who’s vaxxed. (Me: There is! masked = vaxxed 😂)

https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/1395111380567605260

When is mask dependency a sign of delusion?

When you believe cloth is keeping C19 from killing your vaccinated self and keeping unvaccinated & immunocompromised people safe

mlive.com/news/ann-arbor…

The belief among mask-dependent people that masks are superior to vaccines (and/or necessary in order for vaccines to work) is in part attributable to errant public health messaging.

@malkusm reminds us of the ex-CDC director's bold claims on this score

https://x.com/malkusm/status/1395258075238518790?s=20

And here we have more anecdotal evidence of mask dependency among US children.

Did we really think we could force kids to cover their faces in school without any psychological effects? Why on earth would people — especially educators and pediatricians - think that?

https://twitter.com/imurhucklbrrry/status/1395488949779505154

More documentation of mask addiction & dependency in the US.

Those who’ve pushed the “masks work” narrative will no doubt see the beliefs & claims in this article as evidence of a successful public health campaign

I see govt-induced mental health issues nbcnews.com/news/us-news/t…

It seems some Americans now view masks as a sort of weapon in a battle against the social and natural world.

Without professional counseling rooted in facts & reality, some of these people may suffer from mask addiction the rest of their lives.

While it’s troubling that some doctors see “almost no downside” to people masking - and themselves believe masks have prevented the spread of all illnesses besides Covid, in spite of data to the contrary, others seems to recognize the negative social & mental-health effects.

It’s now early July.

Mask-wearing has diminished in many places across the U.S., but mask dependency/addiction seems to be a problem for the NYC-ers @fleccas interviewed recently.

Even as people like WH advisor @ASlavitt subtly try to pry the cloth off the faces of America’s vaxed-maskers, we see affirmation & encouragement for mask dependency

Slavitt’s “other reasons” are rooted in the “masks stop C19” narrative, & aren’t psychologically healthy.

August 2021. Example of wearing a mask to avoid having to show facial expressions at work.

Effectively, a young adult desiring to suppress that which makes him human

https://x.com/TockEmily/status/1425194572452335621?s=20

Brave mom testifying about the reason her DD is wearing a mask

Tell me, child psychiatrists/psychologists, does it seem school & other mask mandates hv developed mask addiction/dependency in kids & teens?

Does it strike you as a "good thing"?

https://x.com/SarahJohnsonPR/status/1426635560060325892?s=20

Seems American parents may be fueling mask dependency & addiction in their teenagers by reinforcing mask-wearing as a virtuous and necessary behavior.

https://twitter.com/MollyJongFast/status/1441022584687050752

Mom says shy teenage son likes hiding behind his mask.

We have millions of potential research subjects here. When is someone going to study to psycho-social effects of mandatory masking on kids, teens, & adults?

When we will admit mask-attachment is a thing?

https://twitter.com/MrsSki65/status/1454536681940570115

Another anecdote about masks as an outgrowth of self-consciousness/“shield” to hide behind:

Junior high girls wanting to take school pic masked

https://twitter.com/mtracey/status/1455291792681746437

WSJ on😷& social anxiety

"[20-YO] Yusuke Matsumoto said he hardly ever wore a😷 b4 [COVID], then discovered he felt more secure w/1 on, esp when he is in front of a large group. “My face turns red or becomes taut when I have tension, which I can...hide"
wsj.com/articles/when-…

"Sayuri, a 14-year-old in Tokyo who started middle school last year, said she wanted to keep her mask on even after the pandemic is over to hide pimples."

Finally, we have a school social worker saying out loud that masks are detrimental to student self-concept.

Gosh, who knew?

https://twitter.com/Jusrangers/status/1457342601745604608

More concern about teens & kids masking by choice.

See post and replies.

Don’t think for one second that this isn’t exactly what the overlords want.

https://twitter.com/AConcernedPare2/status/1462880054023704578

Parent on FB says teen daughter has developed “severe body dysmorphia” as a result of being forced to wear a mask.

Still wondering why school boards et al aren’t worried about potential lawsuits over myriad social-psychological effects of acculturated & compelled face-covering

I've now read and heard enough testimonies from parents to strongly suspect that mask addiction/dependency has become a real problem among teen girls especially.

How long will we keep denying these negative social/psychological effects?

https://x.com/RealKiraDavis/status/1481650231364112391?s=20

Teacher in Ontario describes what sounds like mask dependency/attachment rooted in fear, shame, & guilt about killing someone via virus transmission. bariweiss.substack.com/p/im-a-public-…

Good example of how schools are contributing to mask dependency/addiction (promoting lies) through fear-mongering signs

https://x.com/alohafreedomco/status/1486728553295085580?s=20

This is #maskaddiction, and it’s a bad thing, not a good thing. t.co/jPx3XCeX1N

And when teenager says he/she "feels better" wearing a mask, we should be DEEPLY concerned.

At this point, I don't think it's going too far to call this potential sign of body dysmorphia or other psychological struggle.

This is incredible.

For one 5-YO girl in Virginia, wearing a mask seems to have developed a sense of shame about exposing her mouth to others.

(School boards should be VERY worried about liability for effects like these.) city-journal.org/school-mask-ma…

As Illinois begin to unmask (again) at the end of Feb 2022, a young woman reports feeling good, if "naked" without her mask...

...while a perfectly healthy man who works at Northwestern says he will be keeping his on to protect others. Addicted to virtue?

https://x.com/AmyJacobson/status/1498393424818360320?s=20&t=3G2KvuOxfFGccMg6Yhz25A

Teacher says a female student will not be unmasking this week because says she’s “too used to” the mask and is “not ready to show her face.”

#MaskDependency

Report of high % of children in a class keeping masks on when mandate lifted. Have we taught kids to fear the face? To feel ashamed of removing a mask?

If so, this is a negative social-psychological effect that could be subject to damage$

No surprise that after two years of mask mandates, cases of social avoidance & gripping fear/anxiety are manifest

How long before it’s admitted not only did this experiment fail to stop Covid, but harmed people psychologically?

https://twitter.com/nycexpatmom/status/1503703653760258056

Can we agree that girls wearing masks because they feel ugly is a problem?

https://twitter.com/JennyErikson/status/1504853707262869506

Here’s Gato exploring America’s addiction to the pandemic — including to masks. boriquagato.substack.com/p/masking-the-…

A gymnast wearing a mask during competition because she doesn’t want anyone to see her face…is a problem. #MaskAddiction #MaskAttachment #MaskDependency

https://twitter.com/JFrechmann/status/1513260952652763143

Mask addiction, virtue addiction, or both?

https://twitter.com/RealRonHoward/status/1517481523506597888

Even medical doctors like this one can't seem to escape from mask addiction.

These are the words of someone who has become dependent on other people affirming her dependency by by presenting themselves as dependent.

👇👇👇👇

https://twitter.com/Wood_House76/status/1529561057865437186

Mask addiction is the psychological problem - not mask aversion

https://twitter.com/markmywordsltd/status/1542901443098808320

Fascinating angle on masking in East Asia, if true

https://twitter.com/leucasch/status/1489054789648351235

Archived link to article in first tweet of this thread archive.md/XNO9o

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