Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here with a classic episode from our archives and from former host Christian Sager. This one was inspired by a book Christian ran across about how to dress for success. It got him wondering can power dressing really make a difference socially or psychologically? Well, hello there, brain Stuff, I'm Christian Sager, and I've got a question for you. Do I look powerful? Well? I know you
can't see me right now, but I feel powerful. Some people even think that what you wear can produce this kind of confidence. And who doesn't want to feel good about themselves? So what is this power dressing and does it actually work? Well? To answer that question, we have to take a trip to the smooth nineties seventies, when a guy named John Malloy came out with a series of books about dressing for success. He gribed a uniform of sorts for both men and women that would help
them achieve greatness in business professions. For men, Malloy recommended conservative business attire that was high quality and fit well. Essentially a business suit in a dark hue with a modest white shirt and a tie. Think don draper for women, He adapted this uniform to include a skirted suit and a soft blouse with floppy or bode neck pieces think Margaret Thatcher. In order to achieve the kind of authority of the Iron Lady, Malloy recommended women do two things.
Don't look like a secretary and don't look too sexy. You couldn't wear waistcoats or contour jackets because they drew attention to the bust. Scarves were popular because they drew attention to the face and away from the breasts, and floral prints and feminine colors like salmon pink were out. But you didn't want to look too masculine either, hence
the skirts instead of trousers. This was the birth of power dressing, and by the nineteen eighties it became the way enterprising women learned to manage or limit the potential sexuality of their bodies and leave all that gross girl stuff like cooties at home. But as they entered the corporate workforce in ever greater numbers, some women wanted to modify this uniform while maintaining their professional appearance. One alternative model for breaking out of these fashion limitations was Princess
Diana with her more glamorous outfits. Others were on TV and shows like Dynasty, Designing Women and Moonlighting enter broad shoulder pads, wide lapels, and a wider range of textures, colors, and accessories. Cut to the present day. Now, most of these fashion fads have come and gone, but you can still see their influence on politicians. For example, take Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Many of the tenants of power dressing are still in play today. We just don't call
it that anymore. But a study re examined the principles behind power dressing. It found that putting on formal clothing does indeed make us feel powerful and even makes us think differently. The authors of this study tested student participants in a series of experiments by rating their outfits and taking cognitive tests. When the students switched out of sweatpants and into the kind of clothing they thought they should wear to a job interview, the tests showed their cognitive
processing became more abstract, broader, and holistic. The authors also say that how often you actually wear formal clothes doesn't matter regardless of when you wear it. These uniforms have become a symbol of power. There have been other studies into how clothing affects our cognition too. For instance, when people wear white doctor's coats, they become more attentive, but this effect doesn't happen when they think it belongs to a painter. Today's episode was written by Christian and produced
by Tyler Clang. For more on this and lots of other powerful topics, visit how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app. Apple podcasts are wherever you listen to your favorite shows.