Should I Be Wearing a Tie?

Tyler Cowen says "dressing up actually might make people more productive, but then would not at least a few of us blog in suit and tie?" Julian Sanchez actually does this quite frequently. And, actually, I feel like I am more productive on those days when I have an event to attend that I'm dressed up for.

The thing is that to actually blog in suit and tie all the time, I'd need to buy more suits, shirts, ties, etc. plus probably face higher dry cleaning bills. So the financial and "hassle" costs of shifting to a suit and tie model would be fairly high. The returns, meanwhile, seem uncertain. I feel like my blogging productivity is at a point of diminishing marginal returns. Would 20 percent more output get me 20 percent more traffic? A 20 percent salary increase? It all seems unlikely.

Comments

Aren't you already the world's most productive blogger?

Posted by Oberon | December 21, 2007 1:43 PM

Matt - try the reverse. Dress really down - wear a rainbow wig when you blog, stained boxers, and fake sideburns, and crap stained and pond soaked slippers.

Then try to blog and see if your quality and quantity go downhill in a measurable way - If so, then the inverse might be true too.

Posted by Comment | December 21, 2007 1:49 PM

Why do I suspect that the Suit-and-Tie industry has quietly begun making cash payments to certain bloggers...

Posted by RKU | December 21, 2007 1:56 PM

Maybe you could spell better if you wore a suit & tie. Also, you might feel silly blogging about "Gossip Girl" when you are dressed as an adult.

Posted by Grogor | December 21, 2007 2:00 PM

I once read that when he was at home, writing alone in his study, Richard Nixon strictly adhered to a suit-and-tie dress code. If "productivity" is the goal, perhaps more research is needed on the sartorial question. After all, thusly dressed RMN did manage to crank out half a dozen books trying to rehabilitate his place in history.

But if you're looking for something else - say, truthiness - I'd go for comfort clothes. Wear your favorite Wizards' shirt and a pair of sweats.

Posted by Rob_in_Hawaii | December 21, 2007 2:07 PM

Then there's Jonah Goldberg, who only blogs while naked and with a snugly ensconced cucumber in place...

Posted by MoeLarryAndJesus | December 21, 2007 2:14 PM

. So the financial and "hassle" costs of shifting to a suit and tie model would be fairly high.

While suits and ties can be a bit pricy, they are extremely low hassle. You have so few degrees of freedom in what you wear that it takes no time to get ready in the morning.

Posted by right | December 21, 2007 2:16 PM

There's also the question whether the increased productivity is due mainly to the relative formality or professionality of the suit & tie, or even -- and this strikes me as the most likely answer -- just to their unusualness. Back when I wore a suit & tie to work most days, I remember feeling especially productive on the days when I got to wear a comfortable T-shirt and jeans.

Posted by Christopher M | December 21, 2007 2:22 PM

The longer you did it the less the advantage would be, almost certainly. There was a classic study I heard about in a public policy class situated in, I believe, a GM plant where they turned the lights up... and workers were more productive. Then they turned them down and the workers were more productive again. Novelty is key.

Posted by Sam Boyd | December 21, 2007 2:25 PM

Ties constrict the flow of blood to the brain and thus lower intelligence. Given that fact, it's easy to see why wearing a tie might make a blogger more productive . . .

Posted by rea | December 21, 2007 2:25 PM

I'm in jeans and a sweater today and have been spectacularly unproductive. Of course the 10 drinks at last night's 'holiday' party may be a contributing factor.

Posted by Andruw | December 21, 2007 2:25 PM

Ah, arguing about the tiny additional points of productivity that can be gained from crap like this.
And people wonder why this country is so damned fucked up.

Posted by soullite | December 21, 2007 2:35 PM

I'd need to buy more suits, shirts, ties, etc. plus probably face higher dry cleaning bills.

You don't need to dry-clean any of these, unless you're a very messy eater. Suits and ties? Spot-clean and brush. Shirts? Hand-wash.

Still, I find the GWB approach -- suit up for the Oval Office, even if it's a ten-minute thing -- a bit weird. Dude, the furniture doesn't care.

Posted by pseudonymous in nc | December 21, 2007 2:37 PM

I find the GWB approach -- suit up for the Oval Office, even if it's a ten-minute thing

For people with anxiety/attention issues, maintaining a near-religious dedication to consistency -- eg, how you are dressed when in the oval office -- prevents distraction and helps them control themselves.

It's like how one way of controlling one's diet is to only eat food at a kitchen table to segregate "eating time" from other times in the day.

Another aspect is that it's like "getting into costume." By wearing a certain uniform, one feels that one has "taken on a role," once again in an attempt to resolve an attention/anxiety issue one might feel outside of that role.

Really, though, if there's one thing we need to dispense with, it's the tie. This is the one satorial accessory that I only wear in circumstances where it's "expected." Other times when I want to "look professional," I just ignore the tie altogether, Ahmadinejad-style.

Posted by Tyro | December 21, 2007 3:07 PM

What freaked me out is that Julian played poker in a suit and a tie.... didn't seem to help, though.

Posted by Rob | December 21, 2007 3:42 PM

I always feel like I can get away with slacking off when I wear a suit and tie. People think I have something important to do, and don't bug me.

Posted by Njorl | December 21, 2007 3:46 PM

spoken like a true slacker!

Posted by freddiemac | December 21, 2007 4:24 PM

Another aspect is that it's like "getting into costume." By wearing a certain uniform, one feels that one has "taken on a role," once again in an attempt to resolve an attention/anxiety issue one might feel outside of that role.

Well, Bush likes his monogrammed Members Only jackets and flight suits and presidential dressup accessories like a niece with a Bratz fixation. He's in it for the labels.

Posted by pseudonymous in nc | December 21, 2007 5:32 PM

Do be careful with the tie. Years ago I came across a study that asserted that about 15% of tie-wearers wore them tight enough to constrict the flow of blood to the brain, which did have a measurable effect on their performance on a range of cognitive tasks.

Posted by dm | December 21, 2007 6:02 PM

"Ties constrict the flow of blood to the brain and thus lower intelligence."

Yet more proof that nurture, not nature, determines IQ.

Posted by kafka | December 21, 2007 9:55 PM

While suits and ties can be a bit pricy, they are extremely low hassle. You have so few degrees of freedom in what you wear that it takes no time to get ready in the morning.

This is true, but it's also true for my non-work uniform of a variety of t-shirts that all go well with pairs of jeans or neutral-colored shorts.

It's with "business casual" that I run into problems. With polo shirts, buttoned cotton shirts, print shirts, etc., one can never be sure of the dressiness level. You're always taking a risk, because you're inbetween. Best to either go high or low and stick with it.

Posted by Adam Villani | December 22, 2007 1:00 AM

Whatever you are doing, keep doing it. I can't imagine your productivity improving from its current high point.

Posted by Steve Sailer | December 22, 2007 6:12 PM