Enclothed Cognition: The Art and Science of Being Well Dressed

By Matthew Longcore

Look smart, feel smart, be smart…the superpowers of dressing well.

It’s empirically true that clothes really do make the man or woman. The scientific evidence of this is something called enclothed cognition which was first revealed in the July 2012 issue of The Journal of Experimental Psychology by Hajo Adam and Adam Galinsky who coined the term. They announced, “We introduce the term enclothed cognition to describe the systematic influence that clothes have on the wearer’s psychological processes. In other words, what you wear affects how you think, and how you act, not just how you feel. Our clothing sends us important psychological messages about our abilities as well as sending these messages to the people we encounter. In short, dressing well can make you more successful.

For their first experiment, the researchers divided their subjects into two groups and asked them to perform simple cognitive tasks. The control group performed the tasks in their street clothes, and the experimental group wore white lab coats such as a doctor would wear over their clothes as they worked. The lab coat group made nearly 50 percent fewer errors on their tasks than the group wearing only their street clothes.

Adam and Galinsky took their experiment further by dressing two groups in white lab coats. One group was told they were wearing an artist’s smock. The other group was told they were wearing a doctor’s lab coat. I’m sure you can guess which group performed better. The doctor’s lab coat group wasn’t intellectually superior to the artist’s group, but they took their tasks more seriously.

As an Ivy Style reader, you’re already employing the principles of enclothed cognition. There is meaning behind the clothes you wear. You’re choosing to dress in a style that reflects your values and traditions. And although that bespoke silk pocket square isn’t Superman’s cape, it just might help you become a better version of yourself.

 

19 Comments on "Enclothed Cognition: The Art and Science of Being Well Dressed"

  1. That first photo of the young man being fitted in what appears to be a Donegal mist sport coat is one of my all-time favorites. A black-and-white photo makes every jacket look to be the perfect color, and his necktie is perfect. As I’m a bit obsessive, I would sure like to fix the kid’s hair, though.

    It’s no secret that the military services concur with the results, or is it the hypothesis, of this study. STRAC.

    As for pocket squares, I’ve always worn a white handkerchief, but most recently “as a reminder of my baptism”. Sometimes though, a white hanky, as well as a white shirt, just doesn’t look “right”, like on an autumnal gun-club check, for example. Choosing the right silk pocket square seems to be impossible as the variations are limitless. I like things systematic, and believe it’s better to err on the side of caution. So, how about this: only white hanky on business suits, silk fancy or white hanky on odd jackets, either on a navy blazer? But either/or, depending on what?

    Off topic, maybe, but I don’t care much for the blue tie on the blue shirt on the doctor. A blue shirt is well and good with the lab coat, but the tie just doesn’t make it.

  2. “In other words, what you wear affects how you think, and how you act, not just how you feel.“

    True. And this: the thoughts you think (outlook, world view) influence/inspire your manners, including dress.

    Consider the well documented affiliation of Anglo-American natural shoulder (soft tailoring) style with refined gentleness of spirit and gentility. Tight lipped reserve. A polite, cordial aloofness.

    Since upper class culture is nowadays dominated by the loud, the brash, the showy, the vulgar, and the overly extroverted,* there isn’t much hope for widespread adulation of this aesthetic. There are a few remaining conclaves, but not well known.

    * failure / lack of leadership among moneyed classes (see Digby Baltzell)

    • Matthew Longcore | January 31, 2025 at 8:55 am | Reply

      Agreed about E. Digby Baltzell who lamented about the decline of sartorial standards, along with other indicators of a general lowering of standards in all aspects of social and cultural life.

  3. The first photo reminds me every time of the episode of “Leave it to Beaver” when Wally buys a loud, plaid suit, Ward hates it, and June takes him to get it altered and the wise salesman steers him to a conservative navy suit. A lost time in history.

    Also, could that photo accompanying the “A Serious Question” post be taken off this blog so that I never have to see it again? It’s disgusting.

  4. Simply put, if you want to be treated like a man, you have to look like one, which requires the proper clothing.

  5. I know that particular episode of Leave It to Beaver! Thought I was the only one.

    Kind Regards,

    H-U

  6. Notice how the kid’s new jacket drapes nicely from the button point down through the skirts to the hem. This is how it should be. Not the horrid, tight, gaping X shape which has become the new convention. After the jacket gets broken in, it will drape even more elegantly.

  7. Charlottesville | January 30, 2025 at 1:07 pm | Reply

    Hardbopper – There is much to be said for your rules on pocket squares. I like a simple, crisp white handkerchief with a business suit, with more leeway for suits in seersucker, tweed, or other less formal fabric. I also think that a tweed spot coat cries out for a neat print or paisley silk square.

    As for when to break the rules, I say whenever it suits the mood as long as it looks good. Today, to accompany a gray Harris Tweed sport coat, gray flannels and longwings, I went with the simple white TV fold. A very mid 60s look that would be at home on an episode of That Girl or I Spy, even if not very mainstream today. Nevertheless, I got several complements from strangers at a local restaurant last night wearing a similar outfit, so at least some people seem to notice and approve of classic clothing. If only more of them would put it into practice themselves.

    Joel and H-U – I also remember that Leave It to Beaver episode fondly, and I too dislike that picture accompanying the Serious Question post.

  8. Could someone please tell me where to buy that beautiful looking blue shirt on the man above looking into the mirror?

    • Matthew Longcore | January 31, 2025 at 8:51 am | Reply

      Not exactly sure about the maker of the blue shirt but it looks like shirts available from J. Press and The Andover Shop.

  9. To Navy suit: That blue shirt looks to be broadcloth. The J. Press shirts (OCBD and Pinpoint Oxford) that I have, though, do not have gauntlet buttons.

  10. I also hate catching a glance at that “A Serious Question” post picture. For the good of your faithful viewers, Mr. Longcore, could you change that article image or stop it from showing on seemingly every post? Cheers.

  11. Charlottesville mentioned the TV show “That Girl”. The lead actor in that show was Ted Bessell. Over the run of that show Ted’s style evolved from Trad/Ivy to Mod. It won’t link here, so try a quick Google Image search for Ted Bessell. Quite a few good pics, fyi.

    Anyway, a few posts back, a commenter said something to the effect of “NY is as Ivy as it gets”. 🤔

    • That was a subcomment on my original comment, and as much as I love my hometown, I, too, thought the sentiment was peculiar.

    • Charlottesville | February 3, 2025 at 11:53 am | Reply

      Sadly correct about Ted Bessell going mod, Hardbopper. For the first couple of seasons, he looked great, though. Bill Cosby’s character on I Spy was another very Ivy dresser, at least in the first season. Steven Hill in the first season of Mission Impossible also dressed in Ivy tweeds and button-downs as did Martin Landau. I imagine in most cases the costumers were simply following the current styles of the day. As the 60s wore on, there were fewer stylish men. I am not sure whether there are any well-dressed characters streaming on the small screen these days, but I don’t watch a lot of TV.

  12. “Well dressed,” professionally dressed, properly dressed, and so on are not the same thing as Ivy and are in certain respects not congruent at all. I realize that sites like this one frequently attract people interested in both and I honor that and wish everyone well.

  13. JB,”“Well dressed,” professionally dressed, properly dressed, and so on are not the same thing as Ivy and are in certain respects not congruent at all.” I believe they are, a sane person must consider the venue and what is apporiate. Respectfully.

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