Researcher Does Wearing the Tie Reduce Our Mindset?

How does uncomfortable workwear affect productivity??

Maybe the formal dress code should be relaxed a bit at work. Uncomfortable clothing at work seems to affect work performance and creativity. Researchers have now discovered that wearing a tie, for example, can limit workers' creative abilities.

Should employers just let their employees work in the clothes they like most? Working clothes can be uncomfortable and even painful when, for example, women spend all day working in high-heeled shoes. Men often wear a suit and a tie, which can also cause problems. The scientists at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein found in their current study that wearing a tie restricts the creative abilities of the workers. The physicians published the results of their study in the English language journal "Neuroradiology".

If a tie is tied too tightly, it can negatively affect blood supply to the brain. This leads to an impairment of creativity and work performance. (Image: photoschmidt / fotolia.com)

Wearing a necktie restricts the creativity

Do you think you would be more creative and productive at work if you were wearing more comfortable clothes? The results of the current study provide some clues for such a connection, which you could also present to your boss. The experts found that wearing a tie limits the creative abilities of the workers. It is believed by the medical profession that wearing the tie compresses the veins and veins of the neck and restricts blood flow, possibly slowing down the brain's processing and restricting the thinking skills.

Tie-bearing people had 7.5 percent less blood in the brain

The researchers scanned the brains of 30 healthy young men for their investigation. Of the participants 15 subjects wore comfortable open collar shirts. The other 15 participants were asked to wear ties with a Windsor knot. These ties were tied so tight that it was already slightly uncomfortable for the subjects. The doctors found that the tie-wearing people had 7.5 percent less blood in their brains.

Sample size of the study was very small

However, before you run to your boss and ask for more comfortable clothes at work, you should consider some of the limitations of the investigation. First of all, the sample size was very small, a group of 30 men is not big enough to generalize the results to a broad public, say the experts. In addition, the researchers purposely asked the men to wear their ties so tightly that it caused a slight discomfort. This way of wearing a tie is certainly too tight for many men. In any case, the results should be a kind of warning to men that they do not tie their tie too tight, the scientists suggest.

Reduced blood flow can reduce brain function

The study did not address the real effects of decreased blood flow, such as the analysis of people's response times and decision-making abilities. Although it is known that reduced blood flow can reduce brain function, it is not certain that the small reduction in blood flow caused by tight binding actually has an effect.

Should dress codes be relaxed in some jobs?

When people feel uncomfortable about their dress code at work, it is difficult for those affected to do their job as effectively as possible. Employers should adapt fashionable dress codes to their needs, the authors of the study emphasize. (As)