“Dopamine dressing” has been trending on social media lately. Coined by fashion psychologist Dr. Dawnn Karen in her 2020 book Dress Your Best Life, the term refers to intentionally choosing clothing to adjust your emotional state. Color plays a big role in dopamine dressing.In fact, Michelle Lewis, a color psychology expert and certified color analyst, says you can even try wearing certain colors for mental health improvements. She points to research that suggests that “some colors genuinely support positive emotional and psychological states.” For instance, research in the International Journal of Recent Advances in Psychology & Psychotherapy suggested that lighter, more chromatic colors can consistently enhance mood, reduce stress and promote physiological calmness.
“That said, color isn’t a substitute for genuine mental health support, and the effect is rarely dramatic on its own,” clarifies Lewis, who is also the founder of ColorAnalysis.com and The Color Institute and the author of Color Secrets: Learning The One Universal Language We Were Never Taught. “Where color works best is as one consistent input among many: an environment or wardrobe that quietly supports rather than undermines your emotional state over time. Think of it less as a cure and more as a daily choice that compounds.”In other words, it’s worth understanding the psychology of color in clothing and how it can support your well-being. Some colors even represent strength and perseverance. In fact, people who display emotional resilience traits—like staying grounded under pressure and recovering from setbacks without losing their sense of self—may regularly wear certain hues. Below, Lewis reveals the five colors emotionally resilient people wear the most.Related: Color Psychologist Says Wearing This Color Makes You Appear Instantly More Confident
The Science of ‘Enclothed Cognition’: How Your Wardrobe Impacts Your Mind
“Enclothed cognition” is a key term people use when discussing color psychology in clothing. Lewis explains that enclothed cognition is the term researchers Hajo Adam and Adam Galinsky used to describe something most people have felt but hadn’t named: how the way we dress can shift how we think, feel and perform. Clothes can do so much more than how other people see us.
She points to the landmark study in which participants were given a white lab coat. Half of the participants were told they were wearing a doctor’s coat. The other half were told they were wearing a painter’s smock.
“The group that believed they were wearing a doctor’s coat performed significantly better on tasks requiring sustained attention. The coat didn’t change. The intention did,” Lewis shares. “For emotionally resilient people, this matters dramatically because the colors and clothing they reach for on hard days are often doing more psychological work than they realize.”
She explains that putting on meaningful clothing can connect you to a version of yourself you trust and remind you of your capabilities.
“You’re not just getting dressed. You’re priming your mind to ‘suit up’ for the challenges ahead,” she tells Parade.
Related: Color Psychologist Says the Color of Your Shoes Impacts You More Than You Think—Here’s Why
5 Colors Worn Most by Emotionally Resilient People
Lewis states that emotionally resilient people—consciously or not—gravitate toward color choices that support how they want to feel and how they want to be received.
“Understanding the psychology behind those choices gives you access to a tool that works on both levels at once,” she says.
1. Earthy greens: The ultimate “grounding” color
Olive, sage, eucalyptus and moss are some of the most grounding colors in psychology. The common thread? They’re all earthy greens.
“Earthy greens sit at the intersection of green’s documented psychological properties and the grounding quality of the earth tones woven through them,” Lewis says. “What’s really special about green is that it is the great equalizer. If you’re too agitated, it calms you. If you’re too down, it lifts you.”
She notes that research consistently suggests that green lowers stress and heart rate, including a 2019 Frontiers in Psychology study showing green environments produce measurable reductions in heart rate compared with other color conditions.
2. Terracotta and rust: Warmth without aggression
Lewis says terracotta and rust are members of the warm family that carry orange and red wavelengths with an added bonus.
“But their earthy, clay-toned quality mutes the intensity that makes pure red or bright orange feel activating or demanding,” she adds. “The brown tones woven through terracotta and rust absorb the urgency of red’s longer wavelength while keeping its warmth and vitality present in a gentler form.”
As a color analyst, Lewis would be remiss if she didn’t point out that terracotta and rust are “deeply autumn.” They’re “the colors of harvest, fallen leaves and preparation for a restful season.
“They evoke abundance, richness and the kind of warmth that comes from something lived-in rather than fresh,” she explains. “For emotionally resilient people, terracotta and rust communicate exactly that: I’ve been through seasons. I’m still here. I’m warm, and I’m strong, and these things are not in conflict.”
3. Deep navy: Confidence anchor
We often associate navy with maritime fun—like sailboats and marinas—but it’s also one of the colors that boost confidence. And Lewis isn’t just talking about increasing self-confidence. Others may also find you more trustworthy.
“Navy carries blue’s full trust and credibility signal in its deepest, most saturated form,” she explains. “For emotionally resilient people specifically, deep navy functions as a confidence anchor. It’s the color you reach for when you need to walk into a difficult situation and project that you’ve got this, even when you’re still figuring it out inside.”
4. Indigo: Intellectual and connective
Emotionally resilient people need to take in and communicate a lot without losing their cool. Lewis notes that emerging neuroscience research suggests a link between the brain’s system for processing experiences and creating meaning and shorter-wavelength colors in the blue-violet range.
“Indigo is the color of someone who does that work willingly and well—sitting comfortably with complexity and coming out the other side able to bridge the intellectual properties of blue and the connective properties of purple to create a truly impactful emotional experience,” she notes.
5. Muted burgundy: Strength without urgency
Lewis reports that burgundy has red’s strength and physical activity, but it doesn’t carry the same urgency.
“Its depth and saturation pull it away from pure red’s intensity toward something more reflective and considered,” she states. “It’s the color of someone who has earned their convictions through experience rather than reaction.”
She calls it one of the most fitting, honest colors for emotionally resilient people whose leadership style prioritizes depth over volume. It conveys “warmth, strength and quiet dignity in one color.”
Related: Color Psychologist Says Wearing This Color Makes You Appear Instantly More Approachable
How To Practice ‘Dopamine Dressing’ Without Overhauling Your Closet
“Dopamine dressing” in psychology is a trendy idea. It’s not new (or a clinical term), but the term is relatively contemporary; as we noted before, fashion psychologist Dr. Dawn Karen’s wrote about it in her 2020 book Dress Your Best Life.
“Dopamine dressing is the practice of deliberately choosing clothing with the goal of shifting your emotional state, using color, silhouette and personal meaning to generate genuine positive feeling rather than just looking good,” Lewis shares.
She explains that clothing does not literally release dopamine.
“The mechanism is… color triggers associations, memories and physiological responses that influence mood, and mood influences how we think, perform and connect with others,” she says.
So what’s the best way to engage in this trend? Do it your way.
“The most effective dopamine dressing is always personal: the color that works for you is the one connected to a memory of joy, a version of yourself you trust, or a feeling you’re actively choosing to cultivate,” Lewis states.
Still, she can share some general tips on dopamine dressing (without a whole new wardrobe).
1. Start with one piece that genuinely excites you
To start, Lewis says you really only need one item in a color that “makes you feel something real when you put it on.” It can be a scarf, a pair of shoes or a top.
“Wear it with your existing neutrals and notice what shifts,” she suggests. “A single chromatic accent does more emotional work against a neutral backdrop than it would be buried in a colorful outfit.”
2. Go back to what made you feel good before
Think about your childhood: What was a color you loved? Maybe it was in a favorite outfit or a beloved character. Perhaps it was the paint on the walls of a room that felt like yours. Revisit the color. Lewis has a friend who adores hot pink and bright orange, not by themselves, but together. (“We wondered if it was because of sherbet she enjoyed as a child,” she shares.)
“Color nostalgia is neurochemically real,” she adds. “The associations formed in childhood around certain colors often carry emotional charge decades later. That color is worth revisiting.”
3. Map your colors to your intentions, not just your mood
Lewis suggests thinking beyond what you feel like wearing.
“Try occasionally reaching for what you want to feel,” she recommends. “If you have a hard day ahead, choose a color that has historically made you feel capable and settled. This is dopamine dressing used as a deliberate tool rather than a passive habit—and that’s where it becomes genuinely useful for building emotional resilience.”
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Related: Color Psychologist Says These 5 Colors Are Worn Most by ‘Mentally Strong’ Women
Sources:
Michelle Lewis is a color psychology expert and certified color analyst, the founder of ColorAnalysis.com and The Color Institute and the author of Color Secrets: Learning The One Universal Language We Were Never Taught. The Influence of Colours on Well-Being: Psychological and Physical Health. (2026) International Journal of Recent Advances in Psychology & Psychotherapy. Enclothed Cognition. (2012) Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. Adaptive Effects of Seeing Green Environment on Psychophysiological Parameters. (2019) Frontiers in Psychology. Multi-Color Light Filtering Glasses and Brain Wave Activity. (2023) bioRxiv.Hence then, the article about color psychologist says these 5 colors are worn most by emotionally resilient people was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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