Dress like a genius: how your wardrobe influences your brainpower
Suit up for success
The Influence of Textiles: How Apparel Influences Cognitive Performance
Have you ever wondered if clothes affect the way you think? Welcome to the exciting world of “enclothed cognition” that suggests exactly that. Today’s article gives in-depth insight into how your choice of clothes can be much more than just a fashion expression.
What is Enclothed Cognition?
Definition
Enclothed cognition is a form of psychological phenomenon where what you wear systematically influences your cognitive process. More than aesthetics, aspects represent intellectual viewpoints. The theory is that clothes possess symbolic and real attributes that can alter people’s thought processes.
The lab coat experiment
Adam Galinsky and his colleagues conducted one of the most prominent studies in this field. Subjects wearing doctor’s coats performed better on attention tasks. This discovery suggests that the qualities of the outfit, as perceived by the wearer, might increase their cognitive abilities.1
Dressing up your mind
Formal attire and abstract thinking
Substantial evidence exists suggesting that wearing formal clothing can influence cognitive processes to foster abstract thought patterns. Investigations in formal clothing demonstrate that it promotes expansive, conceptual forms of thinking. This implies that when engaging in activities that need creative or strategic reasoning, donning a suit or an elegant dress may serve as a significant asset.2
Impact on decision-making
Wearing formal clothes not only feels more powerful but can also lead to better self-regulation. Research showed that dressing up increases psychological distance among individuals and makes them an abstract and strategic approach towards decision-making.3
Utilitarian benefits in daily life
Work uniforms and decision fatigue
One good example of enclothed cognition in action is work uniforms. Specifying one kind of outfit removes the decision-making process which employees would have to go through every day and saves them mental energy for more important things. The result could be less mental clutter and a sharper focus on the tasks at hand.
Building confidence and effectiveness
Wearing outfits are congruent with your professional identity can go a long way in developing confidence. This psychological boost can lead to better performance in everything: from presenting yourself at meetings to solving a complex problem sitting at your desk.
Clothing goes beyond mere functionality on the body. Daily fashion choices, from lab coats to business suits, are reframed by Enclothed Cognition. So, the next time you’re dressing up, you might pay a little more attention to what you’re putting on, because what you wear may affect how you think. By understanding and perhaps leveraging the potent effect of enclothed cognition, you can dress for success and smarter thinking.
MIT Sloan Management Review - What You Wear Can Influence How You Perform
Slepian, Ferber, Gold, Rutchick, The Cognitive Consequences of Formal Clothing - Social Psychological and Personality Science 2015, Vol. 6(6) 661-668.
Association for Psychological Science - When Clothing Style Influences Cognitive Style