7 ways your outfit can change your mood

Did you know that what you selected to wear this morning could have affected your day? Research suggests that your garb can have a great impact on your disposition. Compiled from Reader’s Digest skim through these facts before you select your next office outfit or workout gear.

It can make you feel powerful

The “power tie” is an actual thing, according to a study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science. Researchers had study participants wear formal business attire and complete a series of five experiments that challenged their cognitive processing abilities. Those who dressed up, felt significantly more powerful and in control of the situation than their under-dressed counterparts.

It can make you a better thinker

No joke! In addition to feeling more powerful, research have also found that the subjects who dressed in business formal clothing could think faster on their feet and had more creative ideas. The scientists speculated that how you dress can in fact, change your perception of the objects, people, and events around you — sparking fresh, innovative ideas and a new point of view.



It can make you exercise harder

Athletes donning red clothing won more events in the 2004 Olympic games than their competitors in blue, which inspired researchers to see if that was just a coincidence or if there is something special about the red hue. The study, published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, found that people who exercised in red could lift heavier weights and had higher average heart rates, signifying they were working harder than those wearing blue, even though both groups reported similar rates of exertion.

It can make you smarter

Wearing clothing that is associated with intelligence, such as doctor’s white coats or pilot’s uniforms, may not only make you look smarter but may actually make you act smarter too, according to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. Researchers gave doctor’s lab coats to subjects (none of whom were doctors) and then asked them to perform a series of complex tasks. Those in white coats made considerably fewer mistakes than the people in their street clothes.

It can cheer you up

Do you wear clothing that reflects your mood or do you wear clothing to change your already, slightly irritable mood? Researchers from the University of Queensland interviewed people and observed their clothing choices to find out. The answer? More often than not, we dress how we’d like to feel or how we’d like others to think we’re feeling. In other words, we put on our favourite kurta along with a happy smile, even if we’re feeling low. And it works, especially if we wear clothing that has gotten us compliments in the past or is something that brings back good memories.

It can make you lose weight

Wearing a snug-fitting pair of jeans, tightening your belt a notch, or even tying a ribbon around your waist underneath your clothing can give you a subconscious signal to stop eating as soon as you are full. “A number of French women wear a ribbon around their waist and underneath their clothes when they go out for dinner,” explains fitness guru Valerie Orsoni. “It keeps them conscious of the tummy — particularly if the ribbon starts to feel tighter as the evening goes on.”

It can help you get your way

This one’s for those who can’t stand haggling over a car price or negotiating a house contract — basically, all of us! According to a research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, your clothing can give you an edge in an argument. Subjects were divided into three groups: they dressed in either a suit, a pair of sweats, or were allowed to wear their own clothing. They were then put in a scenario where they had to negotiate. The people who were dressed well consistently outdid those who were dressed down.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2016.

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