How to dress for a first meeting, according to science

RENCONTRE - Dans la mesure où la science est capable de nous dire si nos chiens nous aiment (oui!) ou si les pigeons savent distinguer un Monet d’un Picasso (euh, apparemment), on serait tentés de croire qu’un grand nombre de recherches ont été menées pour identifier la tenue à porter lors d’un rendez-vous galant. Sachant que ce sujet concerne 23,8 millions d’Américains adultes (le nombre de gens ayant utilisé l’an dernier une application de rencontres). Vous serez sans doute surpris d’apprendre que ce champ d’études est loin d’être pérenne. “Ce sujet a été largement abandonné [...] car il est très difficile à traiter», explique Jaehee Jung, professeur en études de la mode et de l’habillement à l’université du Delaware. Pour mener une expérience fiable, il faut recruter des personnes présentant les mêmes attraits (ce qui est franchement subjectif, pour ne pas dire impossible), à partir desquels on peut juger des effets produits par différentes tenues. “Sinon, le résultat, obtenu par la combinaison des qualités physiques et des vêtements, est biaisé», ajoute-t-elle. Cela dit, la science apporte quelques éléments probants pour vous montrer sous votre meilleur jour.

It's a cliché, but it's true: men have a weakness for red...

The attraction of men for red is not new.In a 2008 study by Andrew Elliot and Daniela Niesta, men evaluated the physical attraction of women in red compared to other colors.In all contexts, they found them more attractive and sexually desirable.This trend is confirmed throughout the world, and even non -human male primates are irresistibly attracted to women who "blush" during ovulation.“Our results corroborate what many women have been saying for a long time: sexually speaking, men behave like animals».Damn then.

...But black is popular for the opposite reason

If you don't like red or if it's a little too sexy for you, we have good news: black is also in order for a gallant meeting.And you can thank reality TV for this revelation.In 2018, Robin Kramer of the University of Lincoln and Jerrica Mulgrew of the University of Trent instructed a team to watch the British show First Dates in which meetings between real couples are filmed.The researchers viewed the sequences of more than 500 participants, men and women combined, and observed the colors they wore during the appointment, as well as during the interviews filmed the day before.Result: the potential partners carried more red for the appointment (especially when they expected their partner to be attractive) than during the interview where they were mainly dressed in black, considered a more color "safe".It's not surprising.According to Kramer, "red evoking certain associations (such as intention or sexual availability, for example), people probably prefer to avoid them while trying to be attractive".

What you wear outside is inside

In other words, practice "cognition dressed", a term invented by two researchers from Northwestern University, Hajo Adam and Adam Galinksy, to describe the phenomenon they observed in their 2012 study: the outfit acts on the spirit.The team separated the subjects into two groups: one wore white blouses and the other ordinary clothes.It turned out that the group dressed in blouses has succeeded in the tasks responsible for measuring their attention.It is therefore logical to assume that the clothing choices of potential partners unconsciously influence their state of mind and, therefore, their behavior.High heels being culturally associated with femininity and sex appeal, wearing it will encourage you to adopt a more selling or sexual attitude.Likewise, subtle differences in the hold of a man (a tailor-made costume rather than ready-to-wear, for example) can affect what others will perceive from his insurance or his success.

Moderate makeup prevails

Dans le cadre d’une étude menée conjointement en 2011 par plusieurs universités, l’institut Dana-Farber contre le cancer et un chercheur de Procter & Gamble, on a présenté aux participants des photos de femmes affichant quatre visages différents: non maquillé, très légèrement maquillé, modérément maquillé et fortement maquillé.Make -up faces, whatever the level of makeup, improved the perception of the supposed skills and attraction of women.Note in passing that the index of sympathy and confidence varied according to the quantity of makeup.Nancy Etcoff de Harvard, one of the main authors of the study, told New York Times that it was better to bet on moderate makeup."The glamorous look will inevitably make you very attractive," she said, but in the long term, "it risks leading to a drop in confidence.So if you need to trust yourself, prefer another look.»

The writer Brinton Parker conducted an absolutely not scientific study in 2014, but just as revealing.She published three identical profiles with the exception of the photos, on which she displayed very different makeup levels.She drew the following conclusions on Bustle: “Men were much more attracted by the unchemented girl than that highly made up, while showing a more virulent interest in the moderately made up.»

Conclusion: Be yourself

According to Jaehee Jung, when we choose our clothes every day, it is always according to our audience, "whether it is one or more people, insofar as [...] It is part of the daily attention we pay to our outfit.Clothes in themselves have no meaning as long as they are not worn.» Le message final est peut-être le suivant: si vous cherchez l’amour, mettez des vêtements qui reflètent votre personnalité: c’est le meilleur moyen de vous sentir à l’aise et sûr·e de vous.

This article, published on the American HuffPost, was translated by Catherine Biros for Fast Forword.

To see also on the HuffPost: