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
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