Wearing your favourite clothes can give you an instant dose of dopamine

Dopamine dressing is a common phenomenon which can make you feel pleasure or even confidence just by wearing clothes. Here’s what it means.

Dopamine dressing, when clothes make you feel better
© Lilly Roadstones GETTY_IMAGES
Dopamine dressing, when clothes make you feel better

Dressing-up is one of the most important parts of a person’s life. It’s the first thing that other people notice when we meet them for the first time. However, it also plays an essential role in building up our confidence and self-worth. This is the psychology behind our clothes.

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What is dopamine dressing?

There are people who dress to express themselves. Whether in brightly coloured clothes or in neutral shades. The attire gives them pleasure. As per WebMd, the feeling of pleasure is felt when our brain uses dopamine.

Dopamine is a neuro-transmitting ‘happy hormone’ that plays a vital role in producing positive emotions. Hence, the idea that wearing certain type of clothes can effectively boost our mood is not something out of the ordinary.

Clothes make us feel happy

Clothes are known to visibly change the way we behave and act. For instance: you might feel mediocre or even emotionless when you wear neutral-coloured clothes, but you feel an instant boost in your mood when you don colourful attire. This is the direct result of dopamine, aka dopamine dressing, as per Grazia Magazine.

Anabel Maldonado, a renowned fashion psychologist explained:

Dopamine dressing is just about dressing in a way that triggers the feel-good neurotransmitter for you, so it’s not necessarily about swathing yourself in prints or bright colours.
An outfit that feels electric on one person won’t necessarily feel the same for someone else, so the notion that there is one way to dress to feel a mood boost is a misconception.

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