As someone who seems to wear sweatpants and a T-shirt almost every day, I can confidently say there’s nothing wrong with dressing comfortably every day to school. Formal—even semi-formal clothes—are often more restrictive than normal clothes. Khakis and dress shirts are just less comfortable than what people wear at home. Most people I know who do wear nicer clothes at school like to change out of them at home because they aren’t as comfortable, so I wonder why not just always be comfortable?

To be fair, formal clothes do have many benefits. Besides the subjective fashion statement they bring, formal clothes allow people to feel more powerful and confident, according to a study conducted by Mike Slepian, an assistant professor at Columbia Business School. However, wearing comfortable clothes also has many discernible benefits. According to a study by Austin Community College, the higher people rated how comfortable their attire was on the day of the exam, the higher scores they received. People do better during exams when they are dressed in what they feel is the most comfortable. Not only does it boost test scores, but dressing comfortably has also been shown to increase productivity at school, work and home. It also helps people think more concretely compared to more formal clothes, according to  the New York Post. No matter what I say though, the comfort of clothes is subjective to each person. Some people find khakis comfortable and sweatpants uncomfortable and some the other way around, but in the end, don’t be scared to wear what you feel most comfortable with. 

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Raphael Li at [email protected]