Reference no: EM133034982

Topics: Summary: Questions:What is the field of "enclothed cognition?"

Motivation, Norms

The great work-from-home experiment is impacting how people dress to perform their work. Some people are tempted to wear more casual clothes while working from home than they would wear to the office. There are benefits of dressing differently for your work hours than your relaxation hours when you are working from home. Putting on a dressier top or more formal outfit can signal to your brain that it is time to focus. Similarly, at the end of the day when you transition to your more casual clothes, your brain knows it is time to relax. People may feel inauthentic if they adopt the Zoom-driven style of dress of a nice top partnered with more casual bottoms. An area of research known as "enclothed cognition" studies what signals clothes send to the brain. Clothing choices may have a more profound impact during this time of working via Zoom since people spend more time looking at themselves in their Zoom box.

• How can clothes impact cognition and the ability to focus?
• What messages do clothing choices send during this era of remote work?
• Do you believe that what you wear while attending a remote class impacts your ability to focus? Explain your point of view.
• What are the downsides to adopting the nice top/ schlubby bottoms combo for video or Zoom meetings?