According to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, wearing a face mask can temporarily disrupt decision-making in some situations and hamper cognitive performance in certain sports. The researchers from the University of Queensland analyzed almost three million chess moves played by more than 8,000 people in 18 countries before and during the pandemic.

The findings of the study revealed that wearing a mask substantially reduced the average quality of player decisions. The results showed that the masks were more likely to decrease performance in situations where there was a demanding mental task with a high working memory load. 

Additionally, it was seen that the negative impact of wearing a mask on chess performance subsided after four to six hours of playing. The researchers explained that the decrease in performance was due to the annoyance caused by the masks rather than a physiological mechanism, but people adapted to the distraction over time. They pointed out that the effect of masks depends on the type of task, the duration of the task, and the working memory load. They added that understanding the impact of mask-wearing on decision-making could help individuals and organizations better evaluate when and how to use them. 

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1028071 )