--- 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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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## 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). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3600204/clothes-say-about-you/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3600204/clothes-say-about-you/"},"headline":"5 Things Your Clothes Are Saying About You","datePublished":"2014-11-24T05:01:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:03:19.491Z","description":"Some findings about clothes from psychological research: 1. 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