Last week, I was walking through a common area with my mask on and smiled at two people from the firm across the hall who weren’t wearing one, signaling I was happy to see them back in the building.
No response.
Were they making a comment about my choice to wear a mask? For a moment, I wondered if I’d just been a victim of what the Chicago Tribune’s Darcel Rockett is calling a new version of “mask shaming and blaming” that leaves “vaccinated people who intend to keep wearing masks in certain situations open to ridicule.“
Then it hit me: They likely didn’t respond simply because they couldn’t see my big grin.
Community health officials continue to tell us all the rational reasons to be safe and mask up, no matter our COVID-19 status. The rules keep evolving and changing, by state, mode of transportation, and venue. Much of the discussion centers around health, keeping those we don’t know safe from a virus we can’t see.
The medical community is missing out on a big insight that would likely lead to greater overall compliance: Let us all smile again.
It is impossible to know now who’s wearing a mask because of an immune-compromised relative, latent fear, or habit. No one wants to explain if it’s to make a political statement. Some worry they might offend or start an uncomfortable exchange, then fumble to pull them out of pockets in elevators and hallways. We’re all confused by rules that have us taking them off in Target but keeping them on at the bank.
What is certain is that we are communal, conversant creatures at our core. Non-verbal communication has been part of our genetic code for tens of thousands of years, long before language developed. Facial expressions make every interaction clearer. Without saying a word, we can convey joy, boredom, anger and confusion. Our faces tell our story, and we so much want to begin telling our stories again everywhere we go.
If we want true behavior change, I’d suggest the medical community let us use our collective common sense on mask wearing. Weigh the risks. Follow the rules to wear them on buses, planes and trains, and in hospitals and businesses that require them.
But what if we took all that energy we’re spending on the polarizing mask issue and spent it on the other, simple ways businesses and people can help stop the spread of disease. Focus on all the behavioral changes we made during the pandemic. Give people some space. Take the next elevator, don’t crowd when picking your vegetables at the grocery store, wash your hands often, sit six feet away, when given the choice.
Respecting each other’s choices and space with a smile is one of the best ways to keep the oncoming COVID19 variants at bay. According to Inc., it can improve your mood and productivity. Most importantly, leading with a smile is an important next step to healing this country.
From numbers nerd to marketing futurist and best-seller author to now Chairman and CEO of Shapiro+Raj, Zain brings over 30 years of marketing perspective to MRX to make sure his clients deliver major brand AND financial growth. In a former life, Zain was a member of the C-Suite at companies such as FCB, Havas and Epsilon. Zain is also the founder and CEO of zednext, an ideas-driven incubator positioned to disrupt the future for marketers and business leaders. Combining creativity and technology to help his clients get to the future before it happens is his passion. Zain holds a degree from the University of Mumbai.
