Colour psychology and clothing

Further research has been carried out on the subject of colour psychology and clothing. This will inform correlations to look out for in the primary research as well as indicate any other varying aspects.

Effects of color on emotions.

By Valdez, Patricia,Mehrabian, Albert

Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Vol 123(4), Dec 1994, 394-409

Abstract

Emotional reactions to color hue, saturation, and brightness (Munsell color system and color chips) were investigated using the Pleasure-Arousal-Dominance emotion model. Saturation (S) and brightness (B) evidenced strong and consistent effects on emotions. Blue, blue-green, green, red-purple, purple, and purple-blue were the most pleasant hues, whereas yellow and green-yellow were the least pleasant. Green-yellow, blue-green, and green were the most arousing, whereas purple-blue and yellow-red were the least arousing. Green-yellow induced greater dominance than red-purple. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Dan Thomas, Image Doctor.Although the level of authenticity to this information is unclear, interesting suggestions are made which could be applied to the primary research.

• Dark colours are perceived as more formal, dominant and authoritative

• Light colours make the wearer appear more friendly and approachable

• Some bright colours convey confidence and energy

• Muted colours are conservative and less threatening

• Contrasting colours can also send a certain message. The higher the degree of contrast such as wearing a black suit  and white shirt or a navy suit and white shirt can create a very powerful image.

An exploratory study: Relationships between trying on clothing, mood, emotion, personality and clothing preference. Wendy Mood (The University of Manchester, UK)

Abstract

This study sets out to explore the application of psychological research methods (as yet not applied) in the fashion arena. The aim of this project is to quantify, formalise and explore the causal relationships between clothing style, preference, personality factors, emotions and mood with a view to a better understanding of the psychological profile of the fashion consumer. This study is a developed version of the primary research to be carried out. 

Design/Methodology

- Uniformly composed samples of females, similar age, occupation and dress size (participant variables). Such variables must be consistent to ensure the true source of the change to the dependant variables. 

- Quantitative research

- 2 Questionnaires, aim: examine emotion, mood and personality before trying on a set of eight garments categorized according to style. Afterwards, to examine emotion and mood while wearing each outfit. Questionnaires are an unbiased way for the researcher to gather information. However, there are issues with the respondents feeling as though they should answer the questions with what they believe the researcher to want. 

- Photograph of participants were taken wearing each of the outfits

- Participants ranked the outfits in order of preference

- SPSS analysis identified relationships and preference indicators

Findings

- The results indicated strong relationships between mood and significant relationships between three out of five personality factors and clothing style preference; mood was a significant predictor of preference, whilst personality was moderate

- When trying on unfamiliar clothing (e.g. whilst shopping), clothing is used as an appearance and mood management tool by reflecting or managing positive or negative mood. 

- The results showed the varying levels of emotion an outfit can generate and the power of clothing on individual emotions

Limitations

- Methodology required lengthy time commitments and therefore limited sample size, making generalization difficult

Clothes Can Change/Affect Mood:

- University of Queensland interviewed people and observed their clothing choices to find out whether clothing reflected the individual's mood or whether they were wearing the clothing to change their mood. The results found that we typically dress how we'd like to feel or how we'd like others to think we feel. 

- Social Psychological and Personalist Science found that certain people wearing formal business attire feel more powerful and in control of things than those in under-dressed clothing. The same study also found that those in formal clothing were found to think faster on their feet and had more creative ideas.

- Athletes in red clothing won more events in the 2004 Olympic games than their competitors in blue. Following this a study, published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, found that people who exercised in red could lift heavier weights and had higher average heart rates, indicating they were working harder than those wearing blue, even though both groups reported similar rates of exertion.

Although the above information is in relation to different types of clothing, they could be variables that influence the mood of the participant in a study - it could be the type of clothing that influences the mood and not the colour.