STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
And our last word in business today is: red sneakers.
Some days when getting ready for work, you just want to put on your favorite pair of shoes. They're comfortable, they're familiar, and they just may be a sign of something, as boss man, Jack Donaghy, noted to the creative, Liz Lemon, on the TV show "30 Rock."
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "30 ROCK")
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
It seems Alec Baldwin's character was on to something. According to a new study in "The Journal of Consumer Research," sometimes dressing down can give the impression of competence and success. The co-author of the study, Anat Keinan, teaches at Harvard Business School.
ANAT KEINAN: Well, the classical example is, you know, Mark Zuckerberg meeting, you know, investment bankers for the Facebook IPO dressed in a hoodie, and that actually was considered as a signal of power and status. He is big shot; he can do whatever he wants.
GREENE: Indeed, he can. The researchers actually call this the red sneaker effect, when unconventional dress can signal authority and accomplishment.
INSKEEP: But don't just show up to work in anything because dressing down only works in specific contexts, and with subtle stylish tweaks.
KEINAN: It could just be wearing a colorful tie, or colorful socks or, you know, different shoes. It has to be very clear that it's deliberate.
GREENE: Still, this research does show that the best way to project power is to be yourself.
KEINAN: Not only is it OK to be yourself, but it actually be beneficial to be yourself and to be different, and it's actually a way to earn the respect of others.
INSKEEP: Which is why David Greene is wearing that power red-check shirt today. David, I respect you even more?
(LAUGHTER)
GREENE: I appreciate that, Steve.
INSKEEP: And that's the business news on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.
GREENE: And I'm David Greene. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.