Dress for Success: Utilising Color Psychology to Succeed
Color psychology has taught us that our subconscious might be a little more powerful than we initially thought. But this is a Swiss underwear brand, why am I even talking about this? And it’s actually quite simple. We recently did a post featuring the groundbreaking scientific breakthrough called “enclothed cognition” which discovered that the saying “we are what we eat” might be leaning more towards “we are what we wear”.
In this article, we’re going to explore the idea of enclothed cognition on a practical level and see what your clothing color choices might be doing to you unconsciously.
What is Enclothed Cognition?
We did an in-depth post on what enclothed cognition is that you can read here: Enclothed Cognition: You Are What You Wear. However, I will briefly summarise the phenomenon. The concept of enclothed cognition suggests that the clothes we choose can deeply affect our thoughts and emotions, ultimately shaping our performance and self-assurance. Our clothing silently communicates messages to both ourselves and others. By influencing our mindset, our wardrobe selections not only define our personal style but also impact our overall outlook.
For enclothed cognition, there are two main criteria to keep in mind:
- The person must have preconceived conceptions of the color or clothing piece/style in the discussion.
- The person must physically be wearing the clothing piece/style/color for the phenomenon to occur.
As an example, a person must have a preconceived idea that love is associated with the color red. Once this criterion is met, and the person is wearing red, only then will their perceptions and behaviors with regard to love change.
Now that we’ve got that down. Let’s see what colors mean to our readers.
What your underwear color choices can affect you:
Taking the first set of criteria into account (that the color should hold meaning or association) to work, I decided to see what men’s underwear colors can say about them.
Green Underwear
According to most color psychology-related sites, green is associated with feelings of invigoration, growth, and tranquility. It is closely related to health and nature (for obvious reasons).
In our Instagram Survey, the results were very similar to what one might think. 39% of respondents associated the color green with “Health”, 30% with “Energetic” and, 9% associated it with “Hopefulness”. A remainder of 22% stated that they associated green with a different word or concept and did not specify.
Check out our Greenery Men's Underwear or Military Green Limited Edition to inject some health and hopeful vibes into your underwear wardrobe!
Black Underwear
Black can usually be either positive (power, mystery, elegance) or negative (sadness and anger). However, when we did the men’s underwear color survey, it was a clean sweep. 64% of respondents reported that the color black is closely associated with “Mystery” while 32% associated it with the word “Powerful”. Only 4% reported that they associated it with something else that (not specified).
Check out our Swiss Men's Underwear line which includes different black, classic cuts: Black Briefs, Black Trunks, and Black Boxer Briefs.
Purple Underwear
Various spiritual significances are attached to different variations of the color purple. For example, lighter shades of purple are often connected to affectionate and lighthearted energies, whereas deeper hues may symbolize feelings of sadness and frustration. Others consider it a very regal color fit for kings and queens.
In our Instagram survey, 35% of respondents associated the word “Romance” with purple, 27% with the word “Importance” and, 19% associated it with the word “Mysterious”.
Our Acai Purple Limited Editions have been one of our most popular releases to date. Add a flair of romance and importance to your underwear look now.
Blue Underwear
The color blue is frequently associated with feelings of peace and relaxation. However, in the corporate world, it can also be a symbol of power and dominance. Our Instagram survey revealed that 77% of respondents associated the color blue with the word “Peaceful”, 12% with the words “Powerful” and 4% associated blue with the word “Sad”.
A remaining 8% reported that they associated the color blue with an unspecified concept or word.
Blue is a fan-favorite which has been proven to be true with our online community of men. We've had different shades of blues released as limited editions due to popular demand:
- Atoll Blue
- Lapis Blue
- Standard Blue (Available in Briefs, Trunks, and Boxer Briefs Cut)
Red Underwear
Red is traditionally associated either with Love and romance or with anger. In our survey, 58% of respondents associated red with the word “Power”, 23% with “Romance” and 15% with the word “Anger”.
Check out our Swiss Men's Underwear line which includes different red, classic cuts: Red Briefs, Red Trunks, and Red Boxer Briefs.
What Underwear Color Should You Wear?
Your underwear color choice depends on two things: firstly, what do you want to feel, and secondly, what do you want others’ perception of you to be when they see you in your underwear?
Using Underwear Colors to Boost Emotion & Confidence
The first one is simple. All you need to do is determine which emotions you connect to which colors. As we can see from above, color associations are relatively constant with a few variations here and there.
However, take time to look at colors and identify what those colors mean to you. If you struggle with this, simply put on different colors of underwear, look at yourself in the mirror and see what feelings are evoked. Once you have a list, you can choose your underwear colors based on what feeling you want to evoke!
Using Underwear Colors to Influence Other’s Perceptions
The second one may be a bit more difficult. For this, you will have to rely on color psychology data and cultural knowledge. There are main themes for different colors which trigger specific emotions and actions.
Once you know how you want people to perceive you, simply slip into clothes or undies of that color. It is the typical “dress for success” idea. Want to exude confidence and power? Wear black and red. Want to be perceived as youthful and energetic? Go for an invigorating green!
At the end of the day, Psychology has taught us that everything we do, say, and even wear has an impact on how we interact with the world and people around us! In 2023, we have enough knowledge for us to take advantage of the power of Psychology and make informed decisions! So go ahead! Add color psychology to your morning routine!
