The Psychology of Dressing Up
Always be yourself, they say. Well, some people obviously do not know how much fun it is to be someone else! From early childhood on, we love to wear costumes: Leaving behind our everyday life in order to be a cowboy, princess or tiger. For many adults, dressing up is as fascinating as ever. But why? Let us have a look at the psychology of dressing up.
If clothes make the man, a blue polyester suit can make you Superman. This is the fascination of costumes in a nutshell. But does dressing up really make you a different person? Or does it just change your wrapping?
The roles you play
Firstly, it is important to realize that you do not even need to put on a costume in order to switch roles. In fact, you have probably switched your role several times today. In the morning you might have been a spouse and parent, at work you switched to the employer role before becoming a child when your Mum called at lunch break. Different situations require us to fit into different social roles. It comes very natural for us to think and behave differently according to these roles: You might be a stern boss, yet an indulging parent. Also, it is very likely that you talk to your two year old daughter in a very different manner than to your investors.
You see: It is natural for you to play different roles depending on the situation you are in. But can a costume itself be one of those situations? Will you change your role because of one layer of Polyester fabrics? In order to find this out, it makes sense to take a closer look at the psychology behind clothes.
Judging yourself by your clothes
You know that you judge others by the clothes they wear. Imagine a stranger in a black suit had just sat down next to you in the underground. You would probably think of him as a serious fellow, right? The psychology behind that is easy: You associate qualities — such as seriousness — with people wearing a suit. And you apply this thumb rule to the guy next to you. If he was wearing a Hobbit costume, your judgement might be radically different.
It is obvious why you judge others by their clothes — it is one of their most striking features. But did you know that you also judge yourself by the clothes you wear?
You apply the same stereotypes about fashion that you use for others to yourself. And might come to the conclusion: That smartly dressed person in the mirror must be a nitpicker! It is true: Studies show that people rate themselves as more accurate when they wear formal clothes.
And there is more to it: Clothes do not only change your opinion about yourself, but even your behavior. Researchers found that people are more attentive when wearing a doctor’s coat. So that is definitely the better choice of clothes for a maths exam than a bikini. Why? Because women are worse at calculations while wearing a bikini.
That your self-perception and behavior changes according to what you are wearing might seem absurde. But it is not. It is just a sign that you do indeed switch roles according to the clothes you are wearing. And each role influences your thinking and behavior — even if only slightly. However, this can already be enough to see yourself in a different light.
What your costume tells you about yourself
What does all this have to do with the Superman costume? Well, probably you do not only have strong associations about people in dark suits. You also have an opinion about Superman and his suit. These associations might have to do with strength, confidence and a certain sense of justice.
Unconsciously, you will take these associations and apply them to yourself when wearing a Superman suit. As a result, you shift your role accordingly — a bit away from everyday guy to superhero.
You see, that blue polyester suit can really make you Superman — even though only to a very limited extent. It will not give you incredible strength or the ability to fly. However, you might adopt some of Superman’s confidence while you are dancing around in clinging tights.
And you might need it.
Originally published at blog.delightex.com on February 8, 2016.
