We produced our first show on masks in the spring of 2020. It was when most of us were isolated at home to sidestep the life-threatening illness we've come to call "COVID." The show was about how rapidly masks had become a statement of political identity.

The intensity of the mask battles has begun to calm as we've acclimated to the pervasiveness of masks in our lives. Like them or not, they're here to stay, and they've begun to leave a lasting imprint on our culture.

This hour, we take a longer view of how these objects that cover half of our faces have changed the way we perceive ourselves and interact with others -- and what they might look like in the future.

GUESTS:

• Kim Adrian is the author of Sock, The 27th Letter of the Alphabet, and, most recently, Dear Knausgaard
• Henry Alford is a humorist, journalist, and author; his most recent book is And Then We Danced: A Voyage Into the Groove
• Mollie Ruben is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Maine
• Elizabeth Segran is a senior staff writer at Fast Company and the author of The Rocket Years: How Your Twenties Launch the Rest of Your Life

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

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