What Does Psychology Say About Your Halloween Costume?

"We've known for decades that costumes and dress-up games create a sense of anonymity that allows us to indulge and let go of some of the inhibitions that we experience in everyday life (Diener and colleagues, 1976). In a way, we feel like it's not us that's eating copious amounts of candy, but some other character whose reputation we don't have to worry about; we can let go a bit."

"Some of us dress up as alternative selves or as superheroes who express traits that we may not dare to express in our everyday lives. Someone shy might feel like dressing up as a sexy vampire to show others and themselves that this is part of their personality. Or, someone else might dress up ironically, to show that they are not part of mainstream culture but know what's cool and trendy."

"These motivations are amplified by social media, where Halloween costumes are now shared with people everywhere, instead of our neighborhood party. So far, so good. It seems that Halloween costumes are a great way for us to explore hidden sides of ourselves or make a good impression on others. However, in my own research (Steinmetz and colleagues, 2017), I've explored what I call impression mismanagement, when people try to make a positive impression but fail."

Halloween traces to the Celtic festival of Samhain more than 2,000 years ago and marked the end of the harvest and transition to winter. Immigrants brought those traditions to North America and Halloween evolved into a secular holiday of costumes and trick-or-treating. Costumes and dress-up create a sense of anonymity that reduces everyday inhibitions and enables indulgence (Diener et al., 1976). Costumes also function as deliberate self-presentation to project alternative selves, express traits, or signal cultural positioning (Goffman, 1949). Social media amplifies these motivations by sharing costumes beyond local communities. Attempts to make positive impressions can backfire as impression mismanagement (Steinmetz et al., 2017).

Read at Psychology Today