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Beauty and the Brain
How fashion may transform your psychology, brain, genes and longevity
When you think of fashion, you may immediately think of runways, models, and people who are invested in how they look. Yet, as a style of dress, fashion has a far reaching and transformative impact on what is going on in the “inside” of us, despite appearing on the “outside”.
The inside-outside connection: Say you put something on and look at yourself in a mirror. And say you like it. You immediately feel good. Your brain’s pleasure-generating systems are turned on. And immediately, what is on the outside slips it into your brain and body without your noticing it.
This same boundary dissolution applies when you see someone else whose clothing you like. Your brain’s visual centers light up, and the sensation activates your brain’s reward circuitry like the first flash of Christmas tree lights.
Of course, what goes on in the inside doesn't stop at “liking” something. You may also want it, buy it, and wear it. And when you do, the lights in your brain metaphorically stay on a little longer.
From lights to love and wellbeing: When you feel this rewarded, the impacts are not as superficial as you might think. In 2015, clinical psychologist Laura Veneroni and her colleagues explored whether adolescent cancer survivors could benefit from…
