The Psychology of Dress

Have you ever heard of ‘enclothed cognition’?

Researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois have found that clothes affect our psychological states as well as our performance levels. That essentially means we can wear clothing that can enhance our task related performance and create a more desirable psychological state. The researchers did several studies to test this theory. In one of the studies, a group was instructed to put on a white lab coat, whilst the other members of the group wore street clothes.

Then the participants were given a test for selective attention that measured their abilities to notice inconsistencies. The participants who wore the white lab coats made almost half as many errors as those participants who wore street clothes. The findings of the experiment showed that what we wear can impact our mental state.

Clothes are how to communicate to the world in a non-verbal way, and how we show up can really impact our performance.

When you feel good in what you wear, you feel motivated, strong, confident, and ready to take on the world. That is how I want all my clients to feel. Empowered.

So how can you use enclothed cognition to amplify your performance?

Take stock of the clothes that make you feel really good about yourself. How can you incorporate these items into your regular wardrobe cycle?

Dress with intent.

How do you want to feel? Do you want to feel fierce, strong, powerful, relaxed, in deep concentration? Now what type of clothes make you feel like that?

Clothes can change the way you see yourself. If you start dressing the way you want to be perceived, overtime your perception of yourself will change. It’s almost like you are embodying the person you want to become.

The disparity can’t be too large. For example, wearing a business suit when you are working from home may not make you more proactive. However getting out of your sweats and into elevated lounge wear with a business casual top, and some light makeup may make all the difference.