So, I was feeling a bit tired the other day and everything, including the sky, seemed a bit grey and I was wondering what to wear. I decided to put on my favourite george@asda cream and red jumper, and my leopard print jeans and I don’t know why but I did feel a lot better. I started to think about the whole concept of dopamine dressing, something you can read quite a lot about lately. What is it and why can it help our mood and general mental health?
The AI definition of dopamine dressing is ‘a style of dressing that involves choosing clothing to make you feel good and boost your mood’. It stresses that it is very much a personal and subjective decision. To put it in a nutshell, it is simply ‘dressing for joy’ and wearing clothes that release the happy hormone, dopamine. It works by you choosing colours and patterns that can make you feel more confident. You are encouraged to be more creative and mix and match vibrant colours, textures and patterns and not to be too concerned with conforming or staying within fashion trends. The benefits of dopamine dressing can be immense. It can help you regulate your emotions and reinforce positive mental energy.
What colours then are we specifically talking about? Yellow is certainly one of those colours that make you feel happy when wearing it, or when you see someone wearing it. All those bright colours, such as orange, green, pink and cobalt blue have the power to change the way you feel.
All of this is backed up by writer Katrina Mirpuri (2022) in her article, ‘Can dopamine dressing get rid of my January blues?’. She tried this way of dressing for a week and moved away from her usual darker colours to choosing brighter colours and ones that she found attractive. The result for her is that choosing the clothes became fun each day and she concluded that it lifted her mood. “Without a doubt, dopamine dressing works”, she stated.
It’s also worth having a look at an article by Mark Travers (2025) (link below), a psychologist who talks about the link between clothing and emotional well-being and states that clothing choices can definitely regulate your mood. He suggests ways in which we can all dress for success with dopamine dressing.
Finally, there are some great pictures and examples of dopamine dressing in the Hello article (2024), “How to nail dopamine dressing”. I think that it is best summed up here by the simple statement, “In the end, dopamine dressing isn’t about following the latest trends or slotting into a particular style mould. It’s about dressing for the thrill of it, for the sheer pleasure of brightening up a bleary-eyed morning”. Examples of fashion brands that excel in dopamine dressing are Olivia Rubin, Scamp and Dude, Farm Rio, Neon Marl, Kitri, Joanie Clothing, Euphoria Boutique and Popsy Clothing
So it is, essentially, all about what works for you and if wearing that orange jumper makes you feel better then go for it! What have you got to lose?
https://www.hellomagazine.com/hfm/20220622143645/dopamine-dressing-trend-how-to-guide/
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