As a body language expert I have studied the research on professional attire for many years. Here is an article examining some of the research that indicates that you can dress to improve your confidence and how others perceive you.
A scientific argument for dressing a
little nicer at work
Carmel Lobello
When it comes to work clothes, we
are in a new era — the era of Mark Zuckerberg's hoody, and Mary Barra's
"jeans allowed" policy. Where 20 years ago, dark power suits with
sculpted shoulders emanated prosperity and productivity, now people seem to
think henleys do the trick.
Even in
corporate environments that have not adopted the casual, start-up ethos,
business casual is the new business formal; weekend wear is the new business
casual; and pajamas are legitimate uniforms for the growing ranks of
telecommuters and freelancers who work from the privacy of their bedrooms.
Suits are gross.
Given the
changing fads, you may not want to start showing up at work in a three-piece
suit and a tight half-Windsor, especially if you work at a flip-flop office.
But there's some evidence that for most of us, a return to slightly more formal
work attire may be a good thing. Even if you work at home.
Clothes
can make you smarter
Last year, the phrase "enclothed cognition" — an offshoot of
"embodied cognition," the idea that aspects of your thoughts are
shaped by your body — entered the b-school vocabulary. The term came from Adam
D. Galinsky, a professor at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, who
found that when people don a white lab coat they believe belongs to a doctor,
they become more focused and careful — effectively a little smarter when
performing cognitive tasks.
For the
study, Galinsky assigned 58 under grads to either wear a white, doctor's lab
coat, or simply the street clothes already on their backs. He then used
incongruent trials that tested their focus and mental acuity. He found that
those who wore the lab coat made about half as many errors as those who wore
street clothes.
In his next test, he assigned 74
students three sartorial options. Some would wear a white coat, and were told
it was a doctor's coat. Others wore an identical coat, but were told it was a
painter's coat. And a third group merely looked at a white "doctor's"
coat. The subject then took an attention test where they were asked to point
out differences between two images and speedily write them down. Those who wore
the "doctor's" coat performed significantly better than the other two
groups.
Though the
results were white, doctor's coat-specific, Galinsky's work implies that merely
wearing an item associated with intelligence can improve your cognitive
abilities. "Clothes invade the body and brain, putting the wearer into a
different psychological state," said the New York Times about Galinky's findings.
It is up
to you whether you want your PJs invading your mind while you work, or
something a little more smart and attractive.
Clothes
can also make others think you're smarter
Of course, we're not implying you should show up at the office tomorrow in a
white coat with a name tag that says "doctor, not artist." But it's
worth thinking about what symbolizes smart and effective in your own office.
Tracy
Morris, a professor of psychology at West Virginia University, for years
studied how attire impacts perception. For one test, Morris asked a group of
professors to dress in three types of garb — formal professional (full dark
suits), business casual (slacks or skirts and nice shirts), or casual (jeans, a
plaid flannel, sneakers). I should mention here that she conducted her study in
the mid-90s.
The
professors then gave lectures. Controlling for content, as well as non-verbal
behavior like eye contact and smiling, she then asked students to rate
professors on several attributes involving competence, character, sociability,
composure, and extroversion.
What she found:
Perceptions of professional attributes, like competence, composure, and
knowledge, "are effected most by dress, with formal dress resulting in the
most positive perception." Perceptions of instructor competence were highest
in the formal condition, with business casual a close second, and the lowest
ratings for the casual wear.
Of course,
the study took place in the 90s, and the definition of formal business attire
in most industries has shifted toward the more casual (though thankfully away
from flannels). Nevertheless, it's worth thinking about what is
"formal" in your industry and dressing accordingly.
It
also impacts how you see yourself on the job
This one is directed at those who are wearing jeans and sneakers in a mostly
slacks and oxfords office — meaning, those who tend to dress more casually than
others. Even if you're not violating a dress code, some evidence says dressing
"properly" has an impact on how you see your own skill set.
In a 1994
study, Yoon-Hee Kwon, from North Illinois University studied how clothing
impacts the way you rate yourself on ten occupational attributes:
Responsibility, competence, knowledgeability, professionalism, honesty,
reliability, intelligence, trustworthiness, willingness to work hard, and
efficiency. Cross-referencing these attributes against broad guidelines like
"properly dressed" or "not properly dressed," she found
that when wearing appropriate clothes, a person's sense of these occupational
traits were augmented.
Once
again, the idea is not to show up at work dressed for a gala, or even to wear
anything obtrusively businesslike if your office is casual. The idea is simply,
if you're dressing like a schlub for work, maybe step it up a notch.
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
