When watching Harper Finkle on the Wizards of Waverly Place, I never would’ve thought that she may have been on to something with her rainbow marker dress and headband. But in reality Harper was simply the queen of dopamine dressing.
What is dopamine dressing
Dopamine dressing is wearing colors, silhouettes, and accessories that either hold a lot of meaning or just bring you joy. If you look up this term on Instagram you’re likely to find bright colors and bold silhouettes but the goal is to dress in a way that brings you confidence and uplifts your mood. The term dopamine dressing was coined by fashion psychologist Dawnn Karen aka the “The Dress Doctor” who wrote about optimizing mood through your clothing in her book “dress your best life”.
Where did it come from
The pandemic changed every part of our lives including fashion. After months of dressing in sweat pants and leggings for our zoom meetings, we’re finally back to in-person events, and people are beginning to enjoy dressing up again. So many began to trade in their sweat pants for their most colorful outfits. The pandemic showed us that life is not guaranteed so why not dress for how we feel instead of the occasion.
Why you should try dopamine dressing
In 1982, Raunio identified three factors that affect our preference for clothing: the physical and visual features, our self appearance, and our memories and meanings in the clothing. By taking the most positive features from our clothing and using only those aspects to decide what we wear, they predict you can boost your mood. While dopamine dressing, you should dress for how you want to feel, regardless of the occasion. Here are some ways to start dopamine dressing:
Implement your favorite colors
While color psychology does correlate certain colors to different moods, not everyone likes bright colors or is comfortable in such bold clothes. Pick colors and patterns that you love personally and that you feel flatters you and fits your personal style. Here are some colors that according to Daivata Patil are associated with positive emotions:
- Red – excitement, strength, passion
- Blue – trust, reliability, belonging, coolness
- Yellow – warmth, happiness
- Orange – playfulness, vibrant
- Green – fresh, growth, abundance
- Purple – royal, dignity
- Pink – soft, sweet, nurture
- White – pure, clean, youthful
- Black – sophistication, elegant
Find Styles That you Love
You can look on social media to find clothing pieces and styles that you love. This can be through Pinterest, Instagram, or Tik Tok. Even going to a store and trying on different clothes to see what you like and feel the most confident in.
Wear What Makes you Feel Confident
look and wear pieces that make you feel like your best self. The goal of dopamine dressing is to help you feel confident and productive throughout your day. So make sure what you pick does just that.
Take it Slow With One Piece at a Time
Rather than go for a bold outfit, start with a statement piece and build an outfit around it. This can be a better way of easing into dopamine dressing and still allows you to achieve the same goal.
In our culture where micro trends have become so prevalent, dopamine dressing is a great option in order to take steps to loving your style and becoming more confident in your day to day life.
Featured Image via @ciaobasia. Design by Her Campus Media.
