Enclothed Cognition: What you wear influences you and others, six tips for dressing for success
I’ve been working on a project with Anushka Singh recently, and our conversations about perceptions and disability led us to chat about the importance of making a good impression and why what you wear and how you present yourself is essential. I’ve written about the topic before in First Impressions: Your split second opportunity for success, which explains why first impressions are important.
Anushka advocates for people with a visual impairment and is a Blind Sports Ambassador; she has a vision impairment herself and some interesting stories about assumptions, perceptions and prejudice surrounding this. We’ll share some of those in another article, but today, let’s focus on how what you wear influences the way you feel about yourself and the perceptions of others, then we’ll share six tips on dressing for success.
What You Wear Influences You
Anushka is a firm believer in prioritising appearance and how she dresses, not just according to the context of what she's doing, but feeling the positive benefits herself.
“Dressing well is a topic close to my heart. I strive to dress well every day because of how it makes me feel and its benefits in life. It’s part of who I am, jump-starting my day by uplifting my confidence and representing my personality. Some people might view it as materialistic, but I grew up seeing my grandparents and parents dressing well as a priority. It reflects pride and respect in yourself; that’s why I put in the extra effort. It gives me confidence and sets my tone to represent myself.”
Many people know that how you feel can influence what you wear, but Anushka is right; our clothes influence not only those with whom we interact but also our psychological processes. This concept is called enclothed cognition, a term coined by Hajo Adam and Adam D. Galinsky in their 2012 study.
What is Enclothed Cognition?
Enclothed cognition relates to the effect of clothing on how people think, feel and their mental processes, for example, abstract thinking, feeling confident and attention levels. Adam and Galinski researched the effects of wearing a lab coat on attention, finding it boosted attention.
Other studies show how what we wear can:
affect political points of view (luxury brands)
facilitate healthier choices (activewear)
increase agreeableness (casual clothes)
improve abstract thinking and negotiation ability (formal clothing)
improve confidence and self-image (underwear and socks)
Furthermore, the colours we wear can affect mood, with bright colours associated with a positive mood and dull colours associated with a more mellow mood. Civile and Obhi (2017) found that students wearing police uniforms exhibit biased attention toward individuals wearing hoodies. And Ellis and Jenkins (2015) found a correlation between wearing a watch and conscientiousness relating to punctuality.
Another study found that when participants read a persuasive message containing strong or weak arguments, the quality of the argument had a stronger effect on participants wearing nonprescription glasses than those wearing a baseball cap sideways (Brinol et al. 2017).
What is Embodied Cognition?
Enclothed Cognition forms part of a wider area of research, embodied cognition. Embodied cognition differs from traditional cognitive science, rejecting—or reformulating—the idea that the mind is wedded to the processes of the brain. Instead, embodied cognition emphasises the significance of the body and its interactions in the environment in contributing to cognition or cognitive ability (Shapiro et al. 2021). In other words, the brain is part of a broader system that includes physical experience and sensorimotor systems—a feedback loop.
If you’re familiar with my work, you’ll know that one of the areas I cover is what I refer to as self-empowerment; how to use your body and voice to create positive feelings and effects. This is embodied cognition, with the concept that expressions, posture, voice, movement—and clothing shape psychological processes.
Some of the most robust evidence in this area comes from neuroscience and Botox studies. Botox (Botulinum toxin) is widely used as a facial treatment to 'remove' wrinkles by paralysing facial muscles. Research has found that by suppressing facial expression, Botox also suppresses the processing of emotion, the ability to feel associated emotions and, therefore, empathy. So if you're considering having a Botox treatment, be aware that it can affect positive or negative emotions depending on where you have it.
To learn more about Botox, check out this article Sophie Zadeh’s TED-Ed Lesson: Are there universal expressions of emotion? Or listen to the podcast in this article, Candour Communication Podcast: Nonverbal communication, detecting lies and why Botox makes you unhappy
What You Wear Influences Others
What you wear also matters as it influences the perceptions of others. Imagine if you were to meet me and I was sporting pyjamas and messy hair, a just got out of bed look. What would you think? That I was lazy, not interested in making an effort or even mad? I know it’s an extreme example, but hopefully, it’s one that helped instil the concept in your memory.
“I believe most of the goals I’ve achieved in my personal and professional life are because of how I’ve presented myself; it’s my key to success. For example, while I was trying to purchase a property, I had a lot of challenges interacting with agents over the phone; it was difficult convincing them I was looking to purchase. They were hesitant that a young woman could buy a property all by herself. What changed was when I met them in person. By dressing and presenting well, I non-verbally communicated that I was serious and credible and showed respect for them.
Our first impression is the first point of reference, so if we have an interview and don’t dress appropriately, how do we expect people to hire us, count on our words or take us seriously?”
Again, Anushka is right. There's plenty of evidence that how we present ourselves influences perceptions, including many studies surrounding job interviews. And while perceptions aren't always accurate, what is consistent is that it takes just seconds to form an impression, and that impression typically lasts.
It's all down to 'thin slice assessments', judgements based on how we perceive people through our senses. People claim not to judge, but we all judge; it's a survival mechanism—I'm sure you have crossed the road or diverted your direction to avoid an iffy looking character. Let's look at this from another perspective. What are your first thoughts when you see this image?
Usually, when I ask this question, people say the pigeon looks scruffy, sick, dishevelled and dirty. Well, what about if we put it next to his nicely groomed friend—can you see the difference? When animals and people are sick or when the burdens of life become too heavy, they put less effort into grooming. It's no longer a priority because they have more significant issues to tackle.
In response, our primitive subconscious recognises a threat; we could potentially catch a disease from this sick, dishevelled creature. The limbic system is still working in the way it's worked for thousands of years, keeping us safe, despite living in modern times and being less likely to die of infections disease, with developments in medicine.
Let's look at this from a human perspective in the images below.
I'm not saying that either of these is dressed right or wrong, and in some contexts, they might both be wrong. But there's a scale from not so groomed to highly groomed. Each of us is somewhere along that scale at different times in life. At some point, we might have put a lot of effort into personal grooming, but other times might have had too much going on to prioritise it. Sometimes, we just look battered no matter how hard we try because we've exhausted.
We're always moving along the scale, with the only constant being continual change. It changes throughout the day too. For example, Boris Johnson aside, most people look very different when they leave the house looking nicely groomed and ready for work, compared to the dishevelled, just got up look.
I know this matters to you because you're reading this. You likely make some effort already, and therefore, you're already aware of this concept—even if you haven't consciously considered it. So you’re already heading in the right direction.
To help get you there, I asked Anushka to share her top three presentation tips on dressing well. And I've added mine too. Feel free to ask questions in the comments at the bottom of the page or get in touch here.
Dressing for Success, Six Presentation Tips
Anushka’s Tips
1. Presentation is a way to say who you are Without Having to Speak
Presentation is the first point of reference, a way to say who you are without speaking. Let your clothes reflect your personality through style and colour, but be careful when mixing colours as some don’t look good together no matter which brands you’re wearing.
2. Don’t Follow, set your own Trends
Know what suits you—when you’re happy with what you’re wearing, you feel more confident. While it can be good to follow fashion trends, place importance on selecting clothes that complement your skin tone and body shape, and reflect your personality. For example, at a recent networking event with VIP’s and potential opportunities, I needed to boost my confidence to fulfil the role of introducing myself, making a good impression and representing my organisation as their Ambassador. I dressed well to boost my confidence and look presentable.
3. Pay Attention to Details
Pay attention to details, especially for important events like an interview, networking event or a date. For example, make sure your clothes are clean and not creased and be mindful that you’re dressed appropriately for the occasion.
Sophie's Tips
1. One Step Up
In a professional setting dressing one level up from those you're interacting with (for example, a client) can be a good rule of thumb. This shows respect—they are worth dressing up for. It also shows you're on their level—not dissimilar to them. Dressing too many steps above may result in losing connection, and connection is an important part of influence.
2. Ask for Help
If you're struggling with how to dress, ask for help. The key here is to ask someone you trust who understands your thoughts and personality. Don't ask someone who's a world apart in style and personality. If you can't think of anybody, see a stylist. You can often book a free appointment with a stylist in department stores. A good stylist will work with you to find context-appropriate clothing that suits your body shape and reflects your style and personality.
3. Adapt to Circumstance
Some people wear the same clothes for every situation, but every context is different. Certain clothes may feel like a good representation of your preferences and personality, but that doesn't always translate well in all areas of life. For example, many of my clothes reflect my creative side but can be a little way out in some contexts. Sometimes, I'll tone it down and dress more professionally, let's say, when I'm training a corporate team. But if I'm running an art class, which I often do, my casual or creative style clothing gets an airing. The key is to adapt to the context but to like/love the clothes you choose to wear and how they look. If you're struggling with this one, see tip number two—ask for help.
For more tips on first impressions and personal presentation, check out Nonverbal Communication and Influence: Six tips to make a great impression.
