Dress yourself happy
There’s something magic about slipping into a piece of clothing that really makes you feel good about yourself. Wearing something you love can invigorate you, making you move differently in the world — standing taller, smiling more brightly, striding with purpose. It can give you an extra glimmer of confidence that others respond to, reinforcing the good feelings.
Think of a soft, perfectly fitted T-shirt that feels like home against your skin. A sharp blazer that you throw on before an important meeting. Those workout tights that make you feel swift and powerful. A splash of yellow that imbues a grey day with sunny feeling.
Fashion is often dismissed as superficial, but there is something deeper to the connection between how we dress and how we feel. In her book The Psychology of Fashion, behavioural psychologist Professor Carolyn Mair writes, “As our second skin, fashion enables us to construct and express our identity … When we try on new clothing, we can see ourselves as a different person and take on a new identity and mood.”
It’s a phenomenon psychologists call “enclothed cognition” — the idea that our clothing choices
