20150526-koehn.mp3

Do your clothes matter? Nancy Koehn joined Jim Braude and Margery Eagan to discuss the "casualization of American life."

We often imagine our style as an expressive act, dressing to shape others' perception of us, and to show off our personalities. But, according to Koehn, we should also think of style as "on not so much how others perceive you," but  a way to frame our own thinking. Research shows that people who are dressed more formally "think differently, they channel a broader vision through their own self image."

Clothes "have an important impact on how people feel about themselves," Koehn says. Looking good doesn't simply make you feel good, it makes you think better. Appearance, Koehn notes, "is more complex than we imagine, it's about bearings and intention, and surly it affects how confidently we exist and speak out." The way you dress signals something important to others, but also something important about yourself.

Comfortable attire creates a context in which thoughts themselves are comfortable. "The way you dress has a great deal to do with how willing and able you might be to break through a boundary for yourself," Koehn says. "At an indirect and inchoate level, being able to feel strong and good about ourselves at some higher level is what allows us to take steps to make our life better. We need to use all our powers," she clarifies, and dressing more crisply is part of that. The reality is, "we have become too casual in how we relate with other people" and with what we expect of ourselves. Dressing more formally could help counteract that slow shift.

As industries like tech and media continue to espouse a more casual workplace, and foster more casual thought processes, Koehn is wary. "We don't want to lose our confidence, our sharpness." She notes that power of the suit might not be merely symbolic. It might just help us think bigger, better, and yes, sharper.