dopamine dressing

English

Etymology

Coined by American fashion psychologist Dawnn Karen in 2020.

Noun

dopamine dressing (uncountable)

1. The act of wearing clothing or accessories that elicit positive emotions and boost the wearer's mood.
   • 2022, Shakaila Forbes-Bell, Big Dress Energy: How Fashion Psychology Can Transform Your Wardrobe and Your Confidence, Little, Brown Book Group, page 111:

     When people think of wearapy, dopamine-dressing is often the first thing that comes to mind because it provides psychological grounding to the ‘look good, feel good’ concept.

   • 2023, Erica Davies, Style Chapters: Practical dressing for every life stage, Hodder & Stoughton, page RA1-PA7:

     And the phrase ‘dopamine dressing’ has become a popular fashion phrase to describe clothes that make us feel happy. The dopamine part comes from the idea that wearing something happy gives you a rush, which is linked to the chemical dopamine released in the brain.

   • 2023, Nick Trenton, The Anxiety Cure: 37 Science-Based (5-Minute) Methods to Beat Back the Blues, Stay Positive, and Finally Relax, [self-published], page 112:

     Psychologist and coach Elizabeth Lombardo explains that “dopamine dressing” is not about specific colors or styles making us happier; rather, it’s about optimizing the associations we personally make with the clothing we wear.

See also

• enclothed cognition