Should You Dress for Success?

"What do you think of when you hear the phrase dress for success? Perhaps it's a no-brainer for you, or perhaps you dismiss it as vanity-wearing a well-cut suit or polished shoes so others will take you more seriously. But the truth is more complex and important. How we present ourselves doesn't just change how others see us. It changes how we see ourselves- and that can dramatically influence how we behave."

"A new study published in the International Journal of Research in Marketing (Kononov et al., 2024) illustrates this point beautifully. When people believed that they looked better, they didn't just feel more confident. They acted more kindly, even donating twice as much to charity as those who didn't experience the same boost. The researchers found that when people perceive themselves as more attractive, they believe that they are more visible to others-and this heightened social profile nudges them toward generosity and prosocial behavior."

"This finding mirrors what psychologists call the halo effect: the tendency for people to assume that those who are attractive also possess other positive qualities. Attractive people are more likely to be treated kindly, hired for jobs, or trusted in negotiations. The new twist here is that the effect works inwardly as well. When we feel attractive, we don't just benefit from others' positive biases-we start behaving in ways that reinforce them."

When people believe they look better, they feel more confident and act more kindly, sometimes donating twice as much to charity. Perceiving oneself as more attractive increases the sense of being visible to others and nudges behavior toward generosity. The halo effect leads others to assume attractive people possess positive traits, and feeling attractive produces inward effects that reinforce those behaviors. Biases appear early, with children preferring "cute" peers, and neatly dressed adults are more likely to receive help from strangers than those who appear scruffy.

Read at Psychology Today