You are what you DRESS: Clothing has a significant effect on self-esteem and confidence, claims expert
- Professor Karen Pine researched how a person’s attire affects confidence
- She found students were more assured when wearing a Superman t-shirt
- And women performed worse in a maths test when donning a swimsuit
- This and other research appears in her new book Mind What You Wear
- She concludes that the right or wrong clothes can affect your attitude
What’s the secret to being confident? Some people believe it’s having a positive mental attitude, while others claim it’s being wealthy.
But according to one researcher, the answer may in fact lie in what we’re wearing.
Professor Karen Pine from the University of Hertfordshire said that specific clothing – including even superhero T-shirts – can make people more confident in all sorts of situations.
A new book by Professor Karen Pine from the University of Hertfordshire suggests that what you wear can boost or lower your self-esteem. She asked students in groups to wear Superman clothing and found they were more confident both mentally and physically (stock image shown)
The research is outlined in her new book Mind What You Wear.
In the book she claims clothing affects a person’s mental processes and perceptions.
WHAT ELSE MAKES PEOPLE CONFIDENT?
Yesterday car manufacturer Kia revealed their own separate survey into what makes people confident for the launch of their revamped Kia Soul car:
Women
1. A new haircut
2. A sunny day
3. Walking in heels
4. Learning a new skill
5. Booking a holiday
6. Shaved legs
7. Lipstick
8. Glowing tan
9. Little black dress
10. Designer perfume
Men
1. A sunny day
2. Freshly shaved face
3. A new suit
4. Freshly brushed teeth
5. A nice smelling aftershave
6. Being praised at work
7. A new hair cut
8. Sleeping in freshly washed sheets
9. Learning a new skill
10. Someone agreeing to go on a date
And ultimately, what you wear could discern how confident you feel about yourself.
‘We know our clothes affect other people’s impressions of us,’ Professor Pine told the MailOnline.
‘Now research shows what we wear affects us too.
‘Putting on different clothes creates different thoughts and mental processes.
‘My book aims to make people more aware of this, to understand how changing their clothes can change their mood and their thoughts.’
In the study, she gathered a group of students and asked some to wear a superman T-shirt.
She wanted to know if heroic clothing would change how students thought.
Surprisingly, she found that not only did it make them more confident, but it also made them actually think they were physically stronger.
‘When wearing a Superman T-shirt the students rated themselves as more likeable and superior to other students,’ she explained in a release from the University of Hertfordshire.
‘When asked to estimate how much they could physically lift, those in a Superman T-shirt thought they were stronger than students in a plain T-shirt, or in their own clothing.’
It wasn’t just superhero clothing that affected a person’s state of mind, though.
In another test, women were ask to do a maths test in a swimsuit or wearing a sweater, with the latter group performing better.
Wearing a white coat, meanwhile, was found to improve a person’s mental agility.
And in the book she claims when women are stressed, they neglect 90 per cent of their wardrobe, choosing to dress up only to feel confident.
In addition to scientific research, Professor Pine said she also has ‘tips on how to feel happier and more confident with the right clothes, explaining not only that we are what we wear, but that we become what we wear.’
Professor Pine’s research suggests people should be more careful when picking out what clothes they plan to wear. In tests she found women performed worse in maths tests when wearing a swimsuit, while people in general had better mental agility when wearing a white coat
