Clothes have power. Get the most out of your clothes!
The psychology behind clothing is both complex and fascinating, covering different topics like clothing colour psychology and the impact of dressing on your personality.
What is this impact? How does the psychology of dress really work? Let us demystify the power of clothing for you.
Dressing for yourself
Do you dress for you or for others? It doesn’t matter what the answer is, but it might surprise you to know that how you dress has a lot more of an impact on you than it does on people around you.
A Comfort survey of 12,000 people by Professor Karen J Pine looked at self-expression through fashion. She found that most people dress for themselves: 61% of respondents said dressing well makes them feel confident, while 38% noted that dressing well can lead to feeling more attractive.
Studies on the psychology of clothing
The importance of fashion self-expression has long been known. A study compared the results of those sitting a maths test wearing a sweater to those sitting it in a swimsuit. The group with more clothing on consistently came up with better results.[1] Likewise, a different study in 2012 found that people do better on mental agility tests while wearing a white doctors’ coat.[2] Strange, but true.
What we wear can change how we think and feel – it can influence our behaviour and even our productivity!
Dress your personality: A how to guide
So how can you harness the psychology behind clothing to make yourself feel great day-to-day? Here are a few hints and tips.
1. Always wear what YOU want to wear! Don’t worry about other people. Fashion is about self-expression through clothing, i.e. it’s about you, not other people’s opinions of you. Want to wear bright colours every day in winter? Go for it!
2. Once you know the importance of fashion for self-expression you also have a greater incentive to look after your clothes. They are powerful tools and they deserve a little love. Be sure to use fashion-worthy clothes care products from Comfort – they’re gentle but effective on clothing fibres.
3. Make sure to have a good variety of clothes to hand. Moods change all time, so it’s important to have different options that’ll help express exactly how you want to feel.
Those are our top tips when it comes to the psychology of dress and self-expression through fashion. Remember, harness the power of clothes to make you feel great!
[1] Comfort white paper, ‘Long Live Clothes’
[2] Comfort white paper, ‘Long Live Clothes’