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The Surprising Reason Why Rich People Dress Like Losers

Tser Dennis
ILLUMINATION
Published in
3 min readNov 13, 2022
Photo by John Fornander on Unsplash

You have probably encountered someone before.

Entered the same room you are into, no fancy clothes — and discretely acting like an ordinary Joe.

When I led a business organization three years ago, I did not know that the guy I chatted with was one of the richest guys in town upon discovering it from somebody else.

I was impressed with his demeanor when I met him. He was humble — and level-headed.

He was a soft-spoken guy who would like to network.

On the other hand, you see well-dressed men or women walking down the street wearing high-quality clothes, but they do not look put together.

They might be wearing a nice suit jacket with ripped jeans — or a beautiful dress with sneakers. It’s a strange phenomenon, but there is a reason for it.

It turns out — there is a psychological reason why rich people dress like this.

A study conducted by specific people who dress inconspicuously is perceived to be more competent than those who dress conspicuously.

In other words, if you want people to think you are successful, dressing down is the way to go.

I recall entering the same office building — when a new security guard manning the gate where I used to enter the premises — he never smiled at me. The guard was poker-faced. I was dressed in a round-neck shirt and jeans.

But two days after, I had an important meeting. I was on my usual long sleeves and tie — and the same guy greeted me good morning with a smile on his face.

Is it an isolated case or a coincidence?

Maybe because we associate dressing up well with the attributes of the person in the subject.

Go over the Internet and check out Mark Zuckerberg, Keanu Reeves, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Mark Cuban. These business moguls and celebrities dress up and act as if they were merely regular guys along the street.

There are a few possible explanations for this. For one, dressing down is a way of signaling that you do not need to impress…

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ILLUMINATION
ILLUMINATION

Published in ILLUMINATION

We curate and disseminate outstanding articles from diverse domains and disciplines to create fusion and synergy. Subscribe to our content marketing strategy newsletter: https://drmehmetyildiz.substack.com/

Tser Dennis
Tser Dennis

Written by Tser Dennis

Career Coach ▫️ Christian Author ▫️ 8x Top Writer ▫️ 850+ Medium Articles

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