How fashion impacts our

mental wellbeing
Are you comfortable in your clothes? Because the garments we wear can affect
our mental state in positive and negative ways.
    

Getting dressed in the morning: it's a task we do daily, some more consciously than
others. We get dressed for work in the morning, choose casual clothes for lunch with a
friend or maybe dress up for dinner in the evening. And with each outfit we —
intentionally or unintentionally — communicate non-verbally to the outside world.
It's no question that what we wear is who we are because fashion is a way for us to
express ourselves, our identity and even how we feel. The clothes we wear daily reflect
the way we want others to perceive us and how we see ourselves. Clothes even influence
our cognitive abilities.
In 2012, researchers from Northwestern University in the US found that wearing specific
articles of clothing had an effect on the wearer's psychology and performance. The
researchers concluded that clothes have a symbolic meaning. When we wear an article of
clothing with a specific meaning, these clothes can influence our psychological state. It's
called "enclothed cognition."
For example, a lab coat is associated with intelligence and scientific thinking. When a
person wears a lab coat, these characteristics symbolized by the coat seem to have
positive effects on their performance of specific tasks, according to the researchers. The
study results show that what we wear, and the symbolic meaning we associate with
specific fashion items, has measurable effects on our mental state. 
"This experiment really shows how clothes can affect our attention, how we feel about
ourselves and our competencies," says Camay Abraham, who has a Master degree in
Applied Psychology in Fashion from the London College of Fashion.
These effects can be positive, but also negative. "It could mean a negative state of being if
the item in question is known to be associated with a negative construct," says Abraham.
So "enclothed cognition" is a two-way street, just like our daily clothing choice can make
us feel good or bad.
On days where we don't feel our best the clothes we wear can make us feel better and act
as our potential armour. On those days, I personally find it difficult to combine the right
outfit. Sometimes I try to imitate someone else's style because on them it makes them
look fierce; however I quickly realize that those same clothes don't have the same effect
on me. And so I become uncomfortable; I’ll be tugging and pulling constantly on the
garments I’m wearing, acutely aware of what I put on. 
The consequence is usually to never wear it again. In making this decision, fashion
journalist Abraham sees a relation between cognitive dissonance and fashion. The term
'cognitive dissonance' describes a psychological phenomenon where an action that
doesn't align with our personal beliefs or values leads to a conflict that causes a mental
uneasiness. To reduce the mental discomfort, we either change the action so that it aligns
with our beliefs again or we convince ourselves that the action is actually what we want
to do. 
In my case, by not wearing that type of outfit again, I bring my actions and beliefs back
into alignment.
"You realize that the style doesn't fit your beliefs, ideals, or values, so psychologically you
feel uncomfortable and will try to dissipate those feelings by changing your style," says
Abraham. And I do, I will go back to wearing what makes me comfortable. Alternatively,
we convince ourselves that the outfit is to show a new part of ourselves and is exactly
what we want.
Now the question is: should you dress how you want to feel or dress how you feel? "I
think you should dress how you want to feel because you should focus on how you aspire
to feel instead of how you are feeling," says Abraham. 
Dressing how you want to feel is a way to embody the state of mind you seek and to
shape other people's perception of you in a positive way.
But fashion doesn't simply shape our perception and self-expression; fashion also
influences how we are treated by other people which in turn can impact our mental
wellbeing.
Abraham offers an example: "By wearing the newest trends, people may be more
accepting of you because you are following within this framework of what is acceptable
in society at the time."
Clothes signify how we want to be treated, what social group we belong to or want to be
accepted into. Acceptance for who we are and what we wear gives us peace of mind, just
as wearing clothes we are comfortable in can positively affect our mental state.
RESEARCHERS HAVE IDENTIFIED A SERIES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL
CHANGES THAT OCCUR WHEN WE WEAR CERTAIN CLOTHES

We all take a little extra effort to look nice for special occasions. But
for the most, people remain conflicted between wanting to dress up
and feeling guilty about taking the time to focus on clothes. Science
now suggests that how we dress may just be the difference
between giving ourselves the extra edge in our professional and
personal lives. And yes, that applies to men too.

We hear sayings like “dress for the job you want; not the job you
have” and “look good, feel good” all the time. Most people don’t
really believe in them, but we try to match our attire to the occasion
nevertheless. The good news is that research into the impact of
clothes on behavior now suggests that there may actually be a
grain of truth in these sayings. Science says that the clothes we
wear affect our behavior, attitudes, personality, mood, confidence,
and even the way we interact with others. This is “Enclothed
Cognition“.

The term Enclothed Cognition is used to describe the effect that our
clothes seem to have on various psychological processes like
emotions, self evaluations, attitudes, and interpersonal interactions.
Clothes affect our behavior and our moods because of the symbolic
meaning that we (as a society) ascribe to different types of attire.

We consider some clothes to be powerful, some to be fun, and so

on. We even evaluate people whom we have just met based on
their clothes and the occasion.  It would seem that we also evaluate
ourselves and our roles based on what we are wearing at
a particular time; because of the way they make you feel. This
means that the experience of wearing something subtly affects our
attitudes and our choice of behavior.

Contents [show]
Suited up = power up

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There’s a reason tailored jackets are associated with being ‘dressed

for success’. It seems that wearing formal office wear and
structured clothes puts us in the right frame of mind to conduct
business. Wearing power clothing makes us more feel more
confident [possibly because we call it power clothing]; and even
increases hormones needed for displaying dominance. This in turn
helps us become better negotiators and abstract thinkers.
Casual Friday

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While a good suit works wonders for our performance in the

boardroom; wearing formal wear isn’t a great idea when we want to
socialize. Studies have found that people tend to be less open and
find it more difficult to relax when they wear formal clothes.

On the other hand,  a casual and relaxed dress code at work helps

us become more friendly and creative. These findings bolster the
idea of wearing business casuals on a Friday; since colleagues are
most likely to take out time to socialize and let their hair down on
the last work day of the week. I mean, who wants to hang out
with the squares in their suits?

The psychology of gym clothes

Guardian

Not motivated enough to exercise daily? Wear some of your gym

clothes, or at least carry them with you. Wearing gym clothes /
active wear makes it more likely that we will actually exercise. This
may happen because wearing our workout gear acts as a reminder
to make healthy choices. And for many, having the clothes on
eliminates the step of ‘dressing for exercise’; and reduces one of
our excuses.
Uniform thinking

Flickr/Doug Kline

Any kind of clothing that is associated with a specific role activates

all our knowledge and expectations about how people from that
profession should behave. For example, wearing uniforms and
coats can make people more conscious of their duties and
encourage them to pay more attention to their jobs. Just wearing a
lab-coat during an experiment encourages people to pay more
attention (since lab-coats represent serious, attentive professions
like scientists and doctors) and make fewer mistakes.

And this is not just for the adults. School children in Kenya attended
school more and performed better when they were
given uniforms to wear – perhaps because the uniforms made
school work that much more real and valuable to these children and
their parents.

Luxury good and politics

Wikipedia

Most of us think of our political affiliations as rock solid. But not only
can clothes affect our perceived social status, they can even
change our political views and attitudes. In one study women who
were asked to carry a Prada handbag identified more with
conservative, capitalist values than a control group who were given
a non-luxury handbag.

These ladies were also less likely to help others in general; but

were more likely to help if it improved their status. The researchers
believe that this could be because people unconsciously attempt to
behave in ways that are congruent their look. So essentially, if we
dress for the role, we will start to live it.

Uppers and downers

Flickr/gonmi

Feeling low / cranky / upset / sad? While our mental state most

definitely affects the way we dress; the reverse may also hold true.
What we wear could affect how we cope days when we
are depressed, anxious and stressed. Research says the
quickest little fix for a bad day is to wear brightly colored clothes.
Cheerful colors work as a mini pick-me-up; and thus boosting our
mood and energy. Also, we associate bright colors with happiness,
sunny days, and carefree times (like the summer vacations when
we were kids).

On the other hand, we associate deep and dull colors with low

energy, being tired and a more somber mood. So the next time you
feel like donning a dark hoodie to hide a bad day; reach out for the
bright pullover instead! It may just make you feel a little happier.
Hidden secrets

Amazingly even our underwear affects the way we feel about

ourselves. Hidden clothes like our socks and underwear can exert a
powerful influence on our self-perception and confidence levels.
Wearing something we perceive as sexy can make us feel more
self assured, more powerful and more confident.

To improve self image, even copying someone’s style may be a

good idea. Research shows that when we emulate the dress code
of people we consider smart and powerful, we feel infused with
these qualities as well. That’s certainly an argument for owning
clothes that bring out the best in us.