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Throughout history people have used clothing to portray
their social status. Whether we like it or not, we are all affected by the
information that our outfits communicate to the world.
A recent study published in the Journal of Experimental
Psychology took this idea to a whole new level when it revealed that the
clothes we wear affect our very hormones.
To conduct their study, researchers gathered 128 men between
18 and 32 years old, who were of diverse socio-economic backgrounds and divided
them into two groups – “targets” and “neutral perceivers.” The targets were
then dressed in high-status and low-status clothing. The high-status targets
wore business suites, while the low-status targets were given sweat pants, sandals
and plain T-shirts.
The targets then were asked to engage in a business
negotiation with a neutral perceiver, in which they played the role of a chief
financial officer of a large company and had to negotiate the most favorable
deal. Scientists then compared the results produced by the low- and high-status
targets, and found significant differences, not only in their behavior, but
also in their testosterone levels before and after the experiment.
Participants dressed in high-status clothing exhibited more
confidence and achieved higher profits with their negotiated deals than those
who were dressed in low-status attire. Moreover, the low-status participants
experienced a 20 percent drop in their testosterone levels compared to the
measurements taken before the experiment.
This research demonstrates how sensitive our endocrine
system is to various outside influences. If mere clothing can reduce testosterone
production by 20 percent, it is easy to imagine how damaging a bad diet, stress
and other factors can be to our hormonal
health. This is why it is very important to be careful with the choices we
make, and keep a close watch on our daily routines.
And if dressing well can help alleviate at least some of
those negative influences, well, it might just be time to buy yourself a new
suit.