We’ve all heard it a million times before – you are what you wear! Your clothes have the power to change how you think, feel and perceive yourself. Of course, there are instances where we dress for others – in high-end brands or statement accessories. But more importantly, what we wear impacts how we view ourselves. For women at the workplace, dressing a certain way can help them feel professional, in control of the day, and channelising leadership traits. This is called ‘enclothed cognition’.
The term was coined by Hajo Adam and Adam D Galinksy in 2012, who hypothesised that worn attire affects the wearer’s psychological processes due to the activation of abstract concepts through its symbolic meaning. They conducted an experiment, which was reported in the journal of The British Psychological Society.
They said, ‘To test this idea, the researchers focused on the power of white coats, synonymous with scientists and their attention to detail. In an initial study, 58 students took part in a test of their powers of selective attention known as the Stroop Test… Half the students performed the task in a scientist's white lab coat (they were told that this was to be consistent with previous participants who'd taken part during building work and worn the coat for protection). The other students just wore their own clothes. The key finding – students in the lab coats made half as many errors on the critical trials of the Stroop Test.
The researchers next wanted to test their proposal that enclothed cognition effects depend on the symbolic meaning of clothes and actually wearing them. For these studies, the participants completed sustained attention tests that involved spotting differences between two similar images. Participants who donned a lab coat performed significantly better than others who merely saw a lab coat on the desk (thus suggesting the enclothed effect is more powerful than mere priming) or others who wore the same kind of coat but were told it belonged to a painter.
Is the enclothed effect about some kind of identification with the clothing? It seems it is more than that. For a final study, participants who wore a lab coat performed better on the sustained attention task than those who wore no coat but wrote an essay about how they identified with a lab coat. In turn, those who wrote the essay performed better than participants who wore a painter's coat.
‘Clothes can have profound and systematic psychological and behavioural consequences for their wearers,’ the researchers said. Future research, they suggested, could examine the effects of other types of clothing: might the robe of a priest make us more moral? Would a firefighter's suit make us braver? ‘Although the saying goes that clothes do not make the man,’ the researchers concluded, ‘our results suggest they do hold a strange power over their wearers.’
Dr Kaveri Gollupadi, human resources consultant and counsellor says, ‘Clothes can help shape your performance at work, right from affecting your confidence levels to your decision-making skills. They can influence leadership qualities as well. A well-structured blazer, for instance, can create a sense of authority and boost both professionalism and self-esteem. Heels can make you feel more powerful than flats. Either way, if you choose clothing that aligns with your goals, it’s one of the ways to get one step closer to them.’
Dr Kaveri lists some ways to incorporate Enclothed Cognition in the workplace.
- Understand the identity you want to project and work towards it. Are you in a creative role? A sophisticated silk scarf or an expressive colour does the trick. Are you in a number-crunching role? Consider structured and bold pieces.
- Always accessorise with a well-crafted handbag and a watch, which symbolise professionalism. Keep your make-up aligned with your goals as well.
- Don’t hesitate to be feminine. Jewellery, heels and pastels can all be incorporated into your look effectively, and worn with confidence.
- Adapt to the cultural norms and organisational dress code, without losing yourself. Understand what the expectation is, and add your own personal touch. Is it an NGO where people mostly veer towards handlooms? Elegant Indo-western attire in light shades can be the balance you’re seeking.
- Always look for comfort alongside style. Your clothing should enhance your performance – not distract from it.
- If you have the time, lay out your outfit the night before, along with your accessories. Keep a few ‘go-to’ outfits in your wardrobe that you know are fail-proof pieces for those busy days when you don’t have time to put thought into your clothing.