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There is a phenomenon psychologists call “enclothed cognition”. This idea encapsulates the fact that our clothing choices can have a direct impact on our mood, self-image and even our performance. The idea is that if we look good, we feel good and when we feel good, we gain confidence which in turn unleashes our inner strength and abilities. Many people relate enclothed cognition to career success in the corporate world, but the same is also true in the fitness world. When you dress appropriately for your workouts, you can harness some of that feel good power to improve your workouts and boost your progress.
In a study conducted in 2012, psychological researchers, Professors Adam Galinsky and Hajo Adam asked participants in the study to wear a white coat and perform scientific tasks that required sharp attention to detail. When the coat was described to be a doctor’s coat, the participants performed notably better than in their own clothes. However, when participants were told that the coat was a “painter’s coat”, they showed no such improvement on the science-based tasks. (WellBeing Magazine November 2021- Dress Yourself Happy by Rebecca Howden).
The study just goes to show that clothing can have a direct impact on performance. So, maybe wearing a t-shirt you normally wear to relax at home to the gym, might have a negative effect on your performance as you subconsciously associate that shirt with being in a relaxed mood.
The colour of your clothes can also have a positive impact on your mood and energy. Research in colour psychology has found that longer wavelength colours like reds, oranges and yellows feel warm and stir up passionate feelings, while shorter wavelength colours like blues and greens feel cool and relaxing. The research also found that a lot of the emotional attachment to colours is in the eye of the beholder and so for some people, grey can be as exciting a colour to see as red. Either way, choosing the right colour clothing to wear to the gym can have as much of an effect as what you are wearing.
So, next time you go to the gym, pick those clothes you know are for working out. Pick the colours that invigorate and excite you most. If you feel good putting them on at home, you will feel just as good when you step into the gym. Start dressing for success and gain a helpful boost to your daily workouts.
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