As the deadly virus COVID-19 has continued its spread, governments have taken social distancing measures including enabling quarantines in order to minimize the number of people contaged with it. The enforced isolation caused professionals from every industry and students to continue their jobs and studies in a virtual remote setting. This practice implies that individuals do not have to carry out social interactions that were an accustomed daily norm and have the flexibility of collaborating through lenses if needed. Since people do not have to go out, most do not feel the need to dress in what they normally would and opt for more comfortable items. Does the change in our style affect performance in any way?
According to psychologist Gaura Sarda-Joshi from Brain Fodder, the answer to the question is yes. Gaura presented in her article 7 Ways Clothes Change the Way You Think the video presented above. It focuses on a study that concludes stating that clothes have an effect on a person’s performance depending on the association each individual has with the piece. This being said, Gaura notes that some examples of these can also be found when individuals wear formal wear versus casual wear. A study conducted in California State University found that dressing in suits led to the men being studied to think more about long-term implications of their decisions. Yet another experiment showed that casual-wear made men’s testosterone levels drop by 20%. The saying “dress for the job you want, not for the job you have” certainly gains more credibility after analyzing these studies. The way you dress influences the way you act.
When at home, most people tend to seek for comfortability in their clothing pieces rather than thinking about it’s presentability in a social context. As a result, clothing pieces associated with productivity and power such as suits and blazers are being kept in the closet. In the United States, there was a 7.2% decrease in productivity by employees since the shift to a remote workplace, while length of an average workday increased by 40% according to Jennifer Fabiano, the SEO writer for Ladders News. I truly believe that the way we dress is a micro-factor that is influencing the decrease in productivity. There are many articles written with tips on how to increase your productivity at home, most notably those published by Success, Dream Host and Thrive Global, and all of these have a common item on their list: dressing up the part.
You don’t have to wear a full uniform to work remotely, but changing out of your pijamas can certainly help with productivity. A simple way to enhance your performance during these times is by simply dressing up a bit. By causing a change in your appearance, there can be a shift in your productivity.
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