Dressing powerfully can make you feel more confident and can make others perceive you as more capable.
Dressing powerfully can also make you think better.
From Shutterstock.
In this interview from 2015 (which is a bit dated because it mentions Elizabeth Holmes as a successful billionaire), psychologist and author Heidi Grant refers to a Columbia University study that showed that when people were told their white coats were doctor’s coats, their critical thinking and attention to detail improved, compared to those who were told their white coats were painter’s smocks. The larger point to take from that study, she says, is that we ascribe meaning to clothing, which in turn impacts how we perceive ourselves and act.
Casual Friday, Grant says, means giving up that slight edge of powerful thinking.
Grant also said that having a uniform (meaning a go-to outfit or style), so long as it makes you feel powerful, helps limit the amount of brainpower you expend on decision making.
And if you’re looking for a power color, try black, which Grant says makes people feel more powerful, or red, which can create a sense of increased competition in women.
All that just from the clothes you wear.