Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-31
EFFECTS OF CLOTHES
Influence of Wearing Apparel
on the Mind.
INVESTIGATION TO BE MADE
BY Psychologists of This Interesting
Subject.
BROAD HATS MAKE ONE JOLLY
Heavy Dress Goods Cause Mental De-
preston and Rough Material
Induces Irritability.
BROAD HATS MAKE ONE JOLLY


This new study of the effect of apparel
uuou mental ltfe is the labor of Louis w.
Flaccus FhD sometime fellow in Clark
University. In Justice to him 1T must be
stated in the beginning that what he has
done thus far is simply preliminary. His
results were the other day announced to
his brother psychologists merely for the
purpose of opening up the problem whlch
he has taken up at the suggestion OF Dr.
G. Stanley Hail. our noted student of the
mind and its vagaries. The data have
been collected through a list of fifteen
questions submitted to normal school girls
in the state of New York, 49, of whom
Cundesceuded to fill in answers which have
been carefully analysed. II Is quite nat
Ural that the feminine mind should be Sc
lected as the most fertile field FOR TINS
unique research. What new discoveries
resulted from the enterprise so far as pro
mCted, we shall now perceive.
Heavy dress goods are found to cause
mental depression, due to sensations OF
pressure and muscle fatigue. Heavy shoes
and skirts put an additional strain on
muscles and joints, especially in walking;
or. IT the pressure is felt at the shoulders
there is. so the psychologist says, tend
eucy to stoop, iuterfer ng with the action
OF the lungs and the free circulation OF the
blood Heavy hats. he finds, particularly
favor q depressed mood Thus q gltl OF
eighteen gives the typical answer: In
large. heavy hat my spirits are low Dr.
Flaccus says that pressure on the head
a
than pressure on hand on foot" But he has
discovered even more interesting rela lions
Of the hat to emotional states THE an
swers plainly bring out the fact that the
mood changes with the hat, he added.
Broad Hats Make You Jolly.
a broad hat makes me feel jolly" states
one miss, while another confesses: IF L
have a fancy hat on I'm in a coquettish
mood" This clothes census discloses also
that large hats are preferred to smaller
ones. and IN some cases their relations 10
physical stimuli is directly traceable. If
my hat is Hat on my forehead l feel de-
pressed. says one of the subjects. Il feel
brighter in q hat rolling away from my
face" confdes another.
Soft dress goods make these girls feel
dainty, laxative, happy, demure, light,
graceful. girlisa, gentle. refined etc, while
stiff clothes cause them TO feel uncomfort-
able. awkward formal seIf-conscious,
wailed-in, as II in case. bold. etc. these
being their own adjectives. DIR. F1accus
says that 1t cannot be doubted that there
Is a pleasurable or disagTeeable fitting OF
consciousness due TO the materials of APP
parel BY what are termed projection il
lusiOns' we seem TO feel with our clothing,
as though 1t We're an outer skin, just as is
observed very strikingly when the shoulder
Of ones coat touches anothers. 1t is the
same phenomenon as when touch OBJ
Jects with cane and distinctly feel all of
the sensation of touch located at the end
OF the cane. Our clothing IS ordinarily felt
as an integral part of oursef. and thus
one girl says: Il feel starched In a stiff
waist The wearing of gloves has become
such a matter of habit in feminine Ell
Quette that the glove particularly seems
10 be part Of the hand which il incases;
but extremely stiff goods offers too much
resistance to be felt always as a part Of
ourselves and often imparts rather the SEN
sauon above noted. that the wearer Is 'in
a box or walled in"
Rough Clothes Cause Irritability.
Rough dress materials impart to the
majority of the wearers a disagreeabIe
sensation which is very marked Rough
wooden goods give the feeling Of "creepi-
ness am cross when I touch rough
materials. says one girl Il can't bear
70 touch wooden goods; they make me
SHtNtF' says another. while Il dislike the
IteiInS OF fauueis next TO nv skin" is
the third Characteristic reply
An irritable mood is found to result
particularly when rough materials rub
against the fire hairs of the skin and If
Ii'ate the sense organs at the base of
those little leeiers. 1t is the same pro-
cess as irritating a cat by rubbing her
lHs wrong way Perhaps this is why birds
tated. - - II
smooth materials next the skin are
Iked by nearly all Of the wearers. Yet.
while the feel Of certain smooth ma
teI-ais is pleasant, there is great deal
OF variation from person TO person Il
IKE 70 rub my hands on velvety sur
race says one young lady. Il cannot
pear 10 touch velvet; l feel the cbfIls
running down my back" admits another.
Fitny clothes impart a distinctly pleas
u.abie teeiing-tone to the wearers many
OF whom experience from them feelings
OF Er4cetulness or Iight-heartedness a
maid OF eighteen, whenever she dons a
himy garment. wants to dance.
SILK clothes suggest to many wearers that
they are OF high social rank, whether they
are or not In most cases the feel" and
rustic OF SIX are agreeable. yet TO some
SUBJECTS the latter is decidedly annoying
Ike a scratching pen or q knife screaming
across a plate still 10 others the rustic. OF
SILK is soothing.
Furs suggest 20 the wearers feelings op
wealth or pride, or Of beir- well dressed
or elegant However, tEey are dlsIiked by
some OF the young ladies. to whom they
iinparJ hot, chok'i or stuffed feelings. They
always suggest TO one girl sensation Of
being too much like an animal"
Prefer Fine Shoes to Aught Else.
Have you special prefer ences for certain
articles OF clothes. .. g.-hats. laces. jeweiry.
fine gloves or shoes. handkerchiefs pins.
neckues. etc. so that any extravaganza In
dress is likely to be In that dsrectionT'
Some striking preferences were brought
out By this question. The greatest number
OF the fair subjects would be more extrav-
agaut In shoes than In anything else and
gloves ranked close second: then followed
In order OF preference. neckwear, hats. un-
GerWcdr, 1ewelry and ribbons
Can that vast army of men who periodi-
cally fall into commissions at sight of a mil
liners bill be persuaded to accept as an
index 10 the character OF womankina In
general, this showing of Dr. Flaecus that
weakness for hats IS less than one-third
mat Tor shoes and less than ene-half that
for gloves?
That one-hfth of ones total expenditure
should be devoted TO clothes was the aver
age estimate made by these tender crea-
lures when they were quizzed upon the sub
ject- Some bid as high as one-half and
others as low as one-tenth. A few who do
90 not express actual percentage opine that
1t all depends upon ones station In life"
or whether one is In society" or that III
can't be estimated on the grounds of in
come"
Personality Changes With Clothes.
A change OF personality in changing from
outing clothes to evening dress is expert
euced By 30 per cent OF these young ladies'
some confess uneaslness in evening dress
aud this sensation. DIR. Flaecus says is due
70 desire 10 win emulation and the dread