This study explains WHY!
Men and women who wear crazy, colorful socks are independent, interesting, and successful, at least according to an article in Elite Daily. These socks can be outrageous colors like chartreuse or neon green, or have gigantic eyes, lobsters, flying pigs, or over-frosted cupcakes all over them — as long as they aren’t a dull brown or blue, they can reveal much about the wearer.
People who wear crazy socks are telling the world that they refuse to conform to social trends, boldly displaying their playful personalities and unique sensibilities. They’re leading a revolution against uniforms and decorum.
“Colorful or character socks show playfulness and make a great icebreaker or way to connect with others,” the piece says. “Another possible advantage of wearing fanciful socks and other unexpected attire: You build a brand as the gutsy guy or a creative type, and other times it may give you more room to bend or break the rules.”
A New York Times piece credits the tech entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley for the flamboyantly colored, outrageously patterned socks trend among power players, and how wearing these flashy socks signals that you’re part of the “in crowd” — a secret handshake that you’re someone of note.
“I have been in meetings where people look down and notice my socks, and there is this universal sign, almost like a gang sign, where they nod and pull up their pant leg a little to show off their socks,” Hunter Walk, a director of product management at YouTube, said.
A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research investigated the theory that people confer higher status and competence to nonconforming, rather than conforming individuals.
“We proposed that, under certain conditions, nonconforming behaviors can be more beneficial to someone than simply trying to fit in. In other words, when it looks deliberate, a person can appear to have a higher status and sense of competency,” write authors Silvia Bellezza, Francesca Gino, and Anat Keinan of Harvard University.
Our clothing choices often dictate not only the way others see and treat us, but our own self-perception. According to a study conducted by Northwestern University by social psychologist Dr. Adam Galinsky, what we wear can affect the way we think.
Someone may not know you’re a rebel upon first glance, but you will know and will act accordingly. That little bit of rebellion will spur you on to think more creatively, and in time become more successful, because crazy sock-wearing is the hallmark of a champion and a boss.
Author: Christine Schoenwald, Your Tango