Can your clothing make you smarter?
Can your clothing make you perform better?
We are well aware that we will be perceived by others differently depending if we wear a suit or if we wear sweat pants. Interestingly, the more formal the way you dress, the more credibility one is perceived to have.
But can we perform better depending on what we wear?
Apparently so!
In a 2012 study by Hajo Adam and Adam D. Galinsky, the scientists from Northwestern University made the hypothesis that if people wore a lab coat, they would perform better on tasks that demanded a high level of attention. They had previously established that wearing a white lab coat conferred that the wearer acted carefully and was being attentive.
The results were interesting. When given a cognitive task, a first group of participants was told they were wearing a doctor’s lab coat. A second group of participants wore the same lab coat but they were told it was a painter’s lab coat. Guess who performed better?
The participants wearing the “doctor’s lab coat” did better on the test. Wearing a lab coat and associating it to a doctor’s coat made them perform the task with greater sustained attention. This is known as the study of enclothed cognition.
In a nutshell, the meaning you attach to your clothes has a great effect on how you carry out your work.
What can we take from this study?
You can trick your mind by wearing clothes that elevate your mind. When you wear clothes that make you feel successful, you will perform better. Taking the time buying and selecting power clothes, is not vain; it has a great effect on your attitude, behaviour and performance. If you work at home, behind your computer all day, make a point to dress like if you were going to the office. The results may surprise you!