If you had a rupee for every second you spend in front of your closet choosing an outfit, how rich you would be? Of course, it works differently for different people. Some of you might be quick while some may take ages to dress up. There is no doubt that you always want to dress well and be presentable. Some people do not get bothered by what they wear. In both scenarios, the personalities they have are different. But, there are no exceptions when there is a special occasion. This is the time when everyone takes more effort than usual to dress well. A study justifies the time you spend in front of the closet. Scientists stated that your outfit or the way you dress can affect the way people look at you. Not only that, but it can also shape your personality.
Every one of us tries to match our outfits as the occasion demands. There is a reason why we have dress codes for certain places or certain occasions. Science says that our clothes affect our mood, confidence, approach, etc. It also affects the way you connect with people. This study is called “Enclothed clothing”. This study describes the effects that clothes have on the psychology of people wearing them. This is mainly because of the symbolic meaning that we assign to different outfits as a society. Therefore, some clothes even have adjectives that are moods. This is mainly because we judge ourselves and the roles based on the outfit we are wearing. This proves that the clothes we wear slightly affect the choices we make as an individual.
Here are some ways your clothes change your cognitive process,
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The age
In India, different clothes are to the people of different age groups. For instance, a woman who is 45 years and above is always picturized wearing a saree. Whereas men are seen wearing normal pants and shirts. People below the age of 30 years are generalized that they wear jeans pants. However, this is not a real-life scenario. The equations are changed with changing time. But if you observe, an old man who wears jeans looks like a young, dashing person. He feels the same for himself. Also, a teenage girl wearing a saree may feel like a grown-up and mature person.
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Authority
Corporate Offices compel their employees to wear formal clothes. This maintains the decorum of that workspace. Another reason to do that is when you wear a formal dress you start feeling professional and as a responsible person. This increases the genuineness of work resulting in better outcomes from the employees. Also, it induces a sense of professionalism in a person. Colleges and universities make their students wear formal dress to give a presentation. Formal wears help you to feel like an abstract thinker and boost confidence.
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Fun and relaxed
These clothes are the opposite of formal clothes. You cannot feel like working in these types of clothes. This is because they have a laid-back and relaxed association with it. These are casual clothes. You can wear them when you are planning an outing or a holiday. Casual clothes help you to relax and open up a bit. At some offices, assign a day to wear casual clothes. The intention is to give the employees a relaxed working day. This also, a day of fun activities and for the colleagues to bond.
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The uniform
Uniforms induce a sense of responsibility in the person who is wearing them. For instance, an on-duty police officer wearing a uniform will have that respect and honesty towards his designation. Also, when people wear lab clothes they tend to make fewer mistakes. These are the people like doctors and scientists. Schools have uniforms for this exact reason. When children wear uniforms and come to school they enter a mindset of doing a certain thing, in this case, learning. They get the seriousness of the situation and hence perform better. It also becomes easier to make friends when you dress alike.
All in all, fashion can do wonders. Just like every mood has a color assigned to it, every situation has an outfit suitable for it. Every fashion lover knows what to wear and when to wear it.
- https://brainfodder.org/psychology-clothes-enclothed-cognition/#:~:text=Researchers%20have%20identified%20a%20series,look%20nice%20for%20special%20occasions.&text=Science%20says%20that%20the%20clothes,way%20we%20interact%20with%20others
