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The psychology of the suit -

Here's a question: does wearing a suit make you more influential or productive? Well, actually, yes!

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Power dressing -

According to scientific research, wearing a suit can make employees feel more "powerful, engaged, and likely to succeed."

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More decisive, more focused -

A study carried out by academics at Columbia Business School in New York City suggests that dressing smartly for work can make employees "more decisive and focused."

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Boosts proficiency levels -

Similarly, a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that people who were wearing suits actually performed daily tasks with more proficiency.

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"Enclothed cognition" -

Researchers have termed this phenomenon "enclothed cognition" to describe the systematic influence that clothes have on the wearer's psychological processes.

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Promote productivity -

So, how does the way you dress influence others or impact your productivity?

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More confidence -

The experts at Columbia Business School believe that clothing can influence our performance because when we feel confident and look the part, we will perform better at a specific task.

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Effect on the mind -

Elaborating upon this theory, researchers believe the enclothed cognition effect details how the clothing you wear can have an instrumental effect on how you think or act. But how was this assumption reached?

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Testing the theory -

To test their theory, researchers had a team of scientists all perform the same duties, but some wore a lab coat while others dressed in casual streetwear. They found that those dressed for the job at hand had sustained attention to detail.

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Interpretating the meaning -

The study concluded, "Thus, the current research suggests a basic principle of enclothed cognition—it depends on both the symbolic meaning and the physical experience of wearing the clothes."

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Smart or casual? -

In another study published in the peer-reviewed journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, a group attired in formal clothing performed significantly better in given tasks (particularly creative and organizational tasks) compared to those wearing casual clothing.

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Better communication -

Furthermore, performance extended to communication, with those wearing business suits seemingly better equipped to project dominance in negotiation.

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Changing the thought process -

This quality was boosted by heightened self-esteem and self-efficacy. In fact, wearing formal attire changes people's thought processes!

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Looking good, feeling good -

Looking good makes you feel good. Self-perception is essential in surmounting daunting circumstances and recognizing opportunities for career advancement.

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Driving ambition -

If clothes systematically influence wearers' psychological processes, then dressing well can help fuel the drive towards achieving personal goals.

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Positive impression -

Dressing professionally can help form a positive impression to people you meet in the workplace.

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How you're perceived -

This is especially so when arriving for interviews or when meeting upper-level managers who make hiring and promotion decisions.

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Analytical thinking -

Dressing in formal wear is proven to enhance analytical thinking, notes Scientific American.

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Abstract thinking -

Wearing formal business attire can also boost abstract thinking—an important aspect of creativity and long-term strategizing.

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Suitable attire -

In fact, wearing a suit encourages people to use abstract processing more readily than concrete processing, a study by psychologists at California State University (CSU) has determined.

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The holistic factor -

Wearing clothing that's more formal than usual makes people think more broadly and holistically, says study co-author Abraham M. Rutchick.

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Self-perception -

Interestingly, "The formality of clothing might not only influence the way others perceive a person, and how people perceive themselves, but could influence decision making in important ways through its influence on processing style," the researchers insist.

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The formal approach -

Formal clothing, much like formal language, can enhance social or psychological distance between people, they write.

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More intellectually capable -

This is exemplified by the fact that people feel more intellectually capable when dressed in their formal attire—the "power dressing" effect.

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Be taken seriously -

Dressing professionally for work can also communicate the fact that you take your job responsibilities seriously.

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Business casual attire -

But there's also such a thing as business casual attire. And this is where the lines can become somewhat blurred.

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A more informal look -

In recent years, business dress attire, particularly for men, has become more informal.

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Wear what you please? -

In some workplaces, a freshly-selected and crisply-ironed suit is no longer regarded as de rigueur. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic may have finished off formal dress codes in the office for good, especially as working from home has meant previously professionally attired office workers can wear pretty much what they please.

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Relaxed dress code -

And some of the world's biggest international companies like Apple and Google are well known for promoting a more relaxed dress code.

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"Suited and booted" -

However, there's no doubt that being "suited and booted" says a great deal about your own personality.

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Suits you! -

And hey, have you ever wondered how wearing a suit could increase your bonus, pay rise, and promotion chances? At the very least you're likely to command more respect and admiration from your co-workers and, importantly, senior managers.

Sources: (Columbia Business School) (ScienceDirect) (Social Psychological and Personality Science) (Scientific American) (CSU) (The Atlantic) (Association for Psychological Science)

See also: Office romances—the do's and don'ts

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