HOW DOES YOUR MOOD INFLUENCE YOUR OUTFIT, AND HOW CAN YOUR CHOICE HELP YOU FEEL BETTER?
Even if you are not aware, your mood directly influences your choices when getting dressed in the morning. A study conducted by Professor Karen Pine, from the University of Hertfordshire in the UK, found that what a woman chooses to wear depends heavily on her emotional state. They also learned that the item most wear when depressed is a pair of jeans. One hundred women were asked what they wore when feeling down, and more than half of them gave this answer.
Women also revealed that they would be 10 times more likely to wear a favourite dress when happy (62%) than when not feeling as joyful (6%). The psychologists concluded that the strong link between clothing and mood state suggests that we should get dressed in clothes that we associate with happiness, even when feeling low. It is a way to trick your brain and uplift your mood.
“This finding shows that clothing doesn’t just influence others; it reflects and influences the wearer’s mood too. Many of the women in this study felt they could alter their mood by changing what they wore. This finding demonstrates the psychological power of clothing and how the right choices could impact a person’s state of happiness,” says Professor Pine.
This means that even if you are not feeling your best, you can count on your wardrobe to help you feel happier or present yourself to others in a more upbeat state — just as a smile does.