dopamine dressing
pp. Wearing clothes that boost one's mood.
Examples
2017
We’ve looked at serotonin-boosting food, and happiness workouts, but did you know that the so-called dopamine dressing trend, which is all about fashion choices that make you feel happy, actually has its roots in solid scientific research? – In other words, wearing "happy clothes" genuinely can make you feel happier.
—Jenny Paul, “Have You Tried Victoria Beckham’s Instant Happiness Secret?,” Lumity, February 23, 2017
2017
Honestly, its less dopamine dressing and more #ryangosling making me happy.
—AWLoves, “Honestly, its less…,” Twitter, February 16, 2017
2017
So-called dopamine dressing is everywhere this season. Based on the idea that wearing overtly fun clothes can help lift your mood in depressing times, it begs the question: can wearing “happy clothes” really make us more happy?
—Ellie Violet Bramley, “Dopamine dressing — can you dress yourself happy?,” The Guardian, February 03, 2017
2017 (earliest)
Cue dopamine dressing: fashion that’s designed to cheer you up, from the inward-smile-inducing…to the buys so brilliantly bonkers that they’ll have your fellow commuters grinning, too.
—Charlie Gowans-Eglinton, “Dopamine Dressing: Fashion To Make You Smile This January,” Grazia, January 17, 2017
Notes
A tip of the Word Spy fedora to Lois Ambash for spying this phrase.