communication

The power of clothing - why appearance matters - productivity and first impressions

In this video (and article) I share some literature insights into how our clothing potentially affects first impressions - as well as how our clothing affects our own productivity and effectiveness.

In this article (and video), I’m going to share some interesting scientific research about the power of clothing - and why appearance appears to matters. Not just about the effect on other people, but also on how we perform activities ourselves.

As much as we may not wish to think we’re influenced by appearance, we are. It’s not just in the way we perceive or respond to other people, but appearance appears to affect our own performance too.

Watch the video, or scroll down for the article and references.

Before we jump into it though, let’s be clear that with almost everything to do with communication, there are competing theories, ideas, models and at times, research.

The research I share here are insights to play and experiment with, not as absolute advice. Context matters.

We’ll cover a couple of ways in which you can use clothing and appearance for, firstly, making a positive first impression on other people, and secondly, improving your own performance in your work and/or life.

First Impressions

There are plenty of articles and research papers demonstrating that how we dress affects the first impressions others have of us. We often communicate these first impressions without having said anything at all.

Our clothes, posture and facial expressions all communicate something, even when we don't say anything. So, it helps to ensure we’re conveying the right first impression for the context we find ourselves in.

For those who have studied with me, you’ll know that all communication has a purpose, an audience and it happens in a context.

All three matter a lot. What are you trying to achieve with your communication, who are you trying to affect and what context are you in? Being clear about all three of these will give you the greatest chance of successful communication.

Communication through clothing is through the specific symbols that make up our entire image. These symbols (clothes) tend to have rules, sometimes unwritten that are largely determined by groups in society. This context is important.

It’s why there’s a social norm of dressing professionally for interviews - likely because it’s expected that you do so. We don’t tend to wear jogging bottoms to a wedding. We likely don’t wear a smart three piece suit to a friend's weekend BBQ. Different cultures have norms and expectations, and sometimes explicit rules, about clothing and appearance. People in sub-cultures dress a certain way. It's part of people's identity.

It therefore pays to understand the context in which you are faced - and what you’re trying to communicate (your purpose).

Smart versus Casual

Researchers looked at the perceptions of people when they saw someone else wearing professional, trendy or casual clothing.

What they discovered was that people who dressed “professionally” were seen as more confident, successful and intelligent.

Conversely, there seemed to be no difference between those trendy and casual styles, however people dressing in either style were seen as more friendly and more likely to lead an exciting life.

(Angerosa, n.d.) (There are some flaws to this study, like most studies into comms - the study was conducted with students but the finding seemed to confirm other studies into this subject)

Smart Outfit - more ambitious with better products?

Researchers found that sales people who dressed more professionally were seen as better salespeople, better educated, ambitious, conservative, and having greater product knowledge than those not wearing professional outfits. (Stuart and Fuller, 1991)

Interestingly, the professionally dressed Sales people also gave the impression that their products were better quality, more ethical and had better service associated.

They also found that it wasn’t about individual pieces of clothing, but more about how the whole ensemble comes together.

Build self confidence - and out of our control

Two things to consider also.

Firstly, it’s important that we, ourselves, feel confident, comfortable and that our clothes are an expression of who we are. As researchers show, our clothing choice reflects ourselves - and can help to build self confidence. (University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Department of Textiles, Snežniška ulica 5, 1000 Ljubljana et al., 2014)

Secondly, how other people perceive us is likely out of our control. In the workshop I go on and on about how communication is something that other people decode. This is why context is so important. There are norms, expectations, social constructs and of course, personal preferences that go into how your communication (and clothes) are perceived.

But, given the research above there are things we can do to influence others, and be more effective at communicating, depending on your purpose, audience and context.

If you're trying to sell a product, then potentially dressing more professionally will influence how other people feel about you, and the product.

If you're trying to create a safe space for discussions, then maybe dressing trendy or casual will work, as it seems to create an impression of being approachable and warm.

As I teach in the comms workshop - the more you know your purpose, your audience and your context, the higher the chance you will have of nailing the right communication (and clothing).

As you’ve seen, professional outfits may convey more confidence and trust, in certain contexts. More relaxed clothing conveys more warmth and approachability. What’s your purpose, who are you trying to communicate with and in what context?

But more importantly, you’ve got to feel comfortable and your clothes are an outward expression of you.

So, we’ve looked a little at how clothes can affect what other people interpret, but did you know that your clothes can also affect your own performance?

Felt Power

Sticking with the professional attire, researchers discovered that wearing more formal clothing increased people’s “felt power” - as a consequence, they performed a series of tasks better. (Slepian et al., 2015)

Merely by dressing more formally, you could actually perform better. I’ve seen this in myself - when I dress smarter, I do feel a sense of control and power over my own life - and I tend to focus and do better work.

This is precisely why, when I do a Keynote, or a Workshop, I dress more formally. I perform better because I feel more in control of myself. I feel better about myself. I feel I am projecting a more professional standard of work.

Clothing and higher performance?

Which leads me on to some intriguing research that discovered that pieces of clothing that have an assumed symbolic meaning, result in people performing tasks better, and with more attention.

Researchers found that when people wore a science lab coat to perform a task - and they were explicitly told that the coat was indeed a scientist’s coat - and not a painting coat or overall - they performed that task better. (Adam and Galinsky, 2012)

The research suggests that there needs to be two things in place:

An item of clothing that carries some sort of symbolic meaning.
The clothing had to be worn

This kind of suggests that if we create a uniform for certain activities, we are more likely to perform those tasks, or do that work, better.

I’ve seen this in my own life - as mentioned, whenever I do a presentation or Keynote at a conference, I always wear my trusty blazer.

This was the blazer I wore the very first time I ran the Communication SuperPower workshop - when it won best tutorial for the first time, and it became a symbolic piece of clothing associated with high performing public speaking.

We’ve heard stories of people who have items of clothing they believe bring luck - the chances are they’ve just associated that item of clothing with an activity, or a state of mind, or a location for example. When they wear it - they perform those activities with more focus and attention.

When I discovered this research, I started to apply this idea of a “uniform” for certain activities, and anecdotally, I started to perform said activities better.

If I want to perform better at work, I dress smart - chinos and a shirt - remember the research earlier about performing better when dressed more formally - and people perceiving you to be more competent and trusted? The downside is I’m maybe seen as less approachable - and less likely to live an exciting life…..no comment.

When I go out in the car, I tend to wear the same outfit. Maybe this helps me to enjoy the experience more, or be a more careful, or speedy, driver? The jacket, the jeans, the converse trainers so I can get feedback from the pedals are my outfit associated with driving.

When I’m doing DIY, I wear the same outfit. I bought three pairs of Dickies work trousers, some £15 steel toe capped boots from ShoeZone. £15 and they've lasted me years. And this tatty old jumper from Sainsbury’s - I’m a man of style.

When I’m working out I have an outfit for that too. It forces a mind-set of getting the workout done.

Or when I’m cooking - I’m wearing an apron to focus my attention on the task at hand.

Or when I’m doing business development or sales - I’m wearing a more formal clothing outfit. As per the research mentioned in this video - I’m using the fact people see me as more trustworthy and with higher quality products. Both are true by the way - even when I’m wearing joggers, but that won't be how other people perceive me!

Or maybe I’m just chilling around the house and need a more relaxed, middle aged style.

Or maybe I’m off outdoors - for a hike. There’s an outfit I have for that too.

Or maybe I’m doing some serious journaling - and I need the lab coat. No, I don't really wear a lab coat. But you get the idea.

There’s a chance to improve the way in which we focus on the task, give it attention and ultimately perform it, if we have an item of clothing, or outfit, that has a symbolic and meaningful connection to the activity - and we wear it.

First impressions do matter for sure, but that’s all about your purpose of communication, who you are communicating with - and of course, the context you find yourself in.

It’s also fair to say that you can try to make a good first impression for sure through clothing, but a lot has to do with posture, facial expressions too - and of course, how the other person perceives you based on their own expectations.

But intriguingly, we do get the chance, every day, to enhance our performance by either dressing more formally, or by wearing items of clothing associated with that activity.

There’s a lot more to first impressions than this, and of course, with all things scientific, there are competing ideas, models and in many cases, research.

I shared the literature in this article - and how I implement it in my own life. If you want to develop your super power in the world of work - that being effective communication, then you can gain access to the online version of my workshop on the cultivated management website.

Take it easy. Dress to impress (depending on your purpose, audience and context), feel good in what you wear - and good luck.

Bye.