The Spark of Joy: Uplifting Mood with Dopamine Dressing

Monday, July 24, 2023

Dopamine, a natural mechanism in the brain, serves to reinforce behaviors that bring you joy, providing you with energy and motivation. This summer, a clothing style called “Dopamine Dressing” has gained popularity. If you search for Dopamine Dressing on social media, you will see people wearing bright clothes, paired with extravagant and intriguing accessories. Merely a glance at these outfits can instantly uplift your mood, as if directly stimulating the “pleasure hormone”: dopamine.   

In fact, since last year, various dopamine dressing styles have shown up in international fashion shows. The Spring/Summer 2023 Color Trend announced by Pantone, the world’s authority on color, also includes fresh hues such as fiery red, peach pink, and empire yellow. In China, a fashion influencer named Daytime Bear (白昼小熊bái zhòu xiǎo xióng), is responsible for carrying this trend forward. From pink t-shirts to green jackets to blue overalls, her videos released on Xiaohongshu (小红书xiǎo hóng shū), the Chinese social media platform, have got over 100,000 likes. Besides, in many videos, we can see content creators dressed in vivid colors, holding their phones, wearing cheerful smiles, and displaying lively gestures while walking against backgrounds that match the overall color scheme. The dopamine dressing trend has quietly swept across the internet.

Behind dopamine dressing lies a new cultural trend, demonstrating the innovation, diversity, and practicality of Chinese culture. Firstly, it reflects the fresh aesthetic and values of contemporary Chinese people. Dressing goes beyond mere bodily warmth, and it is now a means of expressing personality, attitude, and the pursuit of freedom. This dressing style surpasses traditional aesthetic norms, enabling individuals to freely express their personality and to respect individual differences. Secondly, it redefines fashion by disrupting the former dominance of basic colors like black, white, and gray, which shows peoples’ innovation and exploration of culture. Moreover, it contributes to the release of emotions, helping develop a healthy mind and body. Rather than simply being a trend in dressing style, it is more accurate to say that it is a popularity of dopamine-inspired lifestyle attitude. Embracing dopamine dressing entails not only a change in outward appearance but also involves developing physical well-being, a positive mindset, and the pursuit of personal interests, all of which stimulate the production of dopamine. In this sense, we encourage the emergence of more dopamine dressing and more positive cultural items and social trends so that we can face life with a more open and vibrant mind.

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Key Notes:

duō bā  àn chuān dā

多   巴   胺    穿    搭 dopamine dressing: a dressing style with the intention of boosting your mood, featuring bright color and intriguing accessories
huó lì 
活   力 vigour: energy, force or enthusiasm

Xiao Ming: Xiao Hong, have you seen those videos about dopamine dressing?
小明：小红，你看过那些关于多巴胺穿搭的视频吗？
Xiǎo Míng: Xiǎo Hóng, nǐ kàn guò nà xiē guān yú duō bā àn chuān dā de shì pín ma? 

Xiao Hong: Not yet, can you tell me something about it?
小红：没有，你能给我介绍一下它吗？
Xiǎo Hóng: méi yǒu, nǐ néng gěi wǒ jiè shào yī xià tā ma?

Xiao Ming: Dopamine dressing is a colorful, vibrant dressing style.
小明：多巴胺穿搭是一种色彩鲜艳、充满活力的穿衣风格。
Xiǎo Míng: duō bā àn chuān dā shì yī zhǒng sè cǎi xiān yàn、chōng mǎn huó lì de chuān yī fēng gé.

Xiao Hong: That sounds intresting. Are there any tips for dopamine dressing?
小红：听起来很有趣！有没有一些关于多巴胺穿搭的搭配技巧呢？
Xiǎo Hóng：tīng qǐ lái hěn yǒu qù！yǒu méi yǒu yī xiē guān yú duō bā àn chuān dā de dā pèi jì qiǎo ne？

Xiao Ming: The colors of the clothes should be bright, and the accessories should be exaggerated and interesting.
小明：衣服的色彩要明亮鲜艳，配饰要夸张、有趣。
Xiǎo Míng：yī fú de sè cǎi yào míng liàng xiān yàn, pèi shì yào kuā zhāng 、yǒu qù.

Xiao Hong: That sounds attractive. I also wanted to try it to make myself look more confident and energetic.
小红： 听起来很有吸引力！我也想尝试一下多巴胺穿搭，让自己看起来更自信、更有活力。
Xiǎo Hóng: tīng qǐ lái hěn yǒu xī yǐn lì !wǒ yě xiǎng cháng shì yī xià duō bā àn chuān dā, ràng zì jǐ kàn qǐ lái gèng zì xìn 、gèng yǒu huó lì.

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