[ardy42]

> To play devils advocate, masks could be ineffective if people tend to behave in more dangerous ways while comforted by wearing a mask. For example, by spending more time around people, frequently touching public objects, standing much closer to people, etc.

I think that was one of the fears in the first place, and one reason why the CDC didn't initially recommend masks for the general population. However, experience has shown that many Americans will "tend to behave in more dangerous ways" during the pandemic even without a mask, so that fear was unfounded.