--- title: 5 Things Your Clothes Are Saying About You description: Some findings about clothes from psychological research: 1. Different color clothing says different things about you. Most interesting is that studies show red has some... canonical: https://time.com/3600204/clothes-say-about-you/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-24T05:01:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:03:19.491Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 5 Things Your Clothes Are Saying About You og:description: Some findings about clothes from psychological research: 1. Different color clothing says different things about you. Most interesting is that studies show red has some... og:url: https://time.com/3600204/clothes-say-about-you/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4a512ba5ff53f29/6986a45fe53aba20464d4843/clothes-on-hangers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4992 og:image:height: 2808 og:image:alt: Clothes on hangers og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Things Your Clothes Are Saying About You twitter:description: Some findings about clothes from psychological research: 1. Different color clothing says different things about you. Most interesting is that studies show red has some... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4a512ba5ff53f29/6986a45fe53aba20464d4843/clothes-on-hangers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Things Your Clothes Are Saying About You > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=369c7626-9a2e-4f5c-a994-5fd39af57fc8&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Look Fashionable on a Budget [Watch (HLS stream): Look Fashionable on a Budget](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MltaBJsq.m3u8) (0:43)  _Published 2016-04-04. Stefanie O'Connell knows how you can still look good on a budget._ by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Nov 24, 2014 5:01 AM UTC  close up of wooden clothes hangers in a shop close up of wooden clothes hangers in a shop Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Nov 24, 2014 5:01 AM UTC Some findings about clothes from psychological research: 1\. Different color clothing [says different things about you](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-does-the-color-of-your-clothing-tell-oth). Most interesting is that studies show red has some pretty unique effects. For the most part, [red seems to mean sex](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-red-clothes-mean-sex). Research shows it makes [men more attractive to women](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-color-should-men-wear-to-be-more-attract). It makes [women more attractive to men](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-color-should-a-woman-wear-on-a-date). It helps [hitchikers get picked up](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-there-a-color-that-helps-hitchhikers-get-p). (More on the odd and interesting effects of red [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-the-color-red-have-magic-powers).) 2\. Dressing young can [make you healthier](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-looking-young-help-you-stay-young). Glasses make you look [smarter but less attractive](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-glasses-really-make-you-look-smarter-but-l). How a female celebrity dresses can tell you [how short her marriage will be](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-there-a-formula-that-can-predict-how-long). **_Eric Barker:_** [_An easy way for women to be more attractive to men and men to be more attractive to women_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/an-easy-way-for-women-to-be-more-attractive-t) **3\. You like brand name clothes because they** [**make you seem high status and (hopefully) this will cause people to treat you better**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/why-do-we-like-brand-name-clothes-so-much)**.** 4\. [Dark clothes = neurotic. Formal dress = conscientious. Messy and unconventional clothing = open to new things. Cleavage and expensive clothes = narcissism in women](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-can-you-tell-about-someones-personality). **Quiz**: [_We Can Guess Your Major Based on Your Style_](http://motto.time.com/4461770/whats-my-major-based-on-my-style/) 5\. You trust doctors more when [they wear the white coat](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-it-matter-what-a-doctor-wears). You like musicians’ music more when they [dress the way you expect them to](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-a-musicians-clothing-affect-how-much-we). By the same token, [what you wear affects how _you_ act:](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-what-you-wear-affect-how-you-act) when research subjects wore lab coats they acted more attentive and careful. So choose your clothes wisely when you need to perform at your best. **_Eric Barker:_**[_10 ways science explains why James Bond is so irresistible to women_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/10-ways-science-explains-why-james-bond-is-so) **_Eric Barker:_**[_10 things science can teach us about being sexy as hell_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/10-things-science-can-teach-us-about-being-se) **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/5-things-your-clothes-are-saying-about-you/)**_._** **Join over 135,000 readers.** Get a free weekly update via email [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD). ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] What about clothes. Are there any ways that [00:04] young people can save on their clothing? Absolutely. So [00:07] I'm a big fan of thrift stores and I know there's a little bit of [00:11] a stigma around them but they're actually. Really valuable [00:14] resources, and another alternative to that is swapping [00:18] clothes with friends. I have friends who are always clearing [00:21] out their closet, they're like I don't need this, I don't need [00:24] this and I'm like I'll take it. So, that's kind of how I get all my [00:26] wardrobe staples and we actually now do prepared [00:30] clothing swaps every Season. So after the winter wardrobe [00:32] clean out and after the spring wardrobe clean out. And I [00:34] always walk away with a few amazing items. That's fun. 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