Why You Should Care About Planning Your Halloween Costume

While putting in the time to research a good, well-priced costume may seem like a drag (especially during weeks four, five and six of a Northwestern quarter), carving out the time to plan your Halloween look may be “procrastination time” that’s beneficial to your productivity and creativity. There truly is no better way to flaunt your style and spunk than visualizing and devising a Halloween costume.

Through research, the Imagination Institute at the University of Pennsylvania’s Positive Psychology Center shows how creativity works with the regions of the brain where focused attention and imaginative thinking takes place, according to a Penn Today article. Understanding how our creative processes are linked to our imagination and attention reveals the importance of engaging in creative thinking since it strengthens and works other parts of our brain.

However, what defines a creative process? According to John Hospers in “Artistic Creativity,” an essay by Monroe Beardsley proposes the finalists theory of creativity in which the creator formulates an idea and works through creative processes to achieve that vision.

“Creation it is said, is always out of pre-existent materials, from which the created product is made, and the creation consists not in bringing these materials into existence but in arranging them in an order which did not exist before,” explains Hospers. These ideas reveal how devising a Halloween outfit — and everyday outfits  — taps into your creativity since you must conceive an image and put in effort to develop a method for achieving the concept. As University of Pennsylvania showed us, this type of thinking exercises your brains.

In the context of clothing, not only does the creative process of choosing have important effects on your brain, but what is chosen may influence your thinking processes more than you realize. Research conducted by Adam Hajo and Adam Galinsky uses the term “embodied cognition” to explain how clothing impacts our mental state. Embodied cognition depends on two factors: the symbolic meaning of the apparel and the experience of wearing said apparel. The research focused on an experiment surrounding wearing a lab coat, yet the findings suggests the power that our clothing choices as a whole have on our behavior and thoughts.

A Halloween costume’s power becomes clear: while the process ignites creative processes that fuel your neurons, the result transforms your identity for those brief hours as it allows you to pretend to be someone or something other than yourself. Although you may not be actually experiencing the life of a vampire or 60s workout fiend, wearing such outfits connects you with your attitudes and connotations you associate with those “characters.” In turn, the costume shapes your psychological processes, as the enclothed cognition states, since you feel a need to match the perception of your physical disposition.

As a child, I always dressed as a princess because these dresses would make me feel special, glamorous and royal.

The results of this mental association with your costume could be increased confidence as you transform into Superman, a higher energy level as you turn into a 60s workout fiend, belief in your intelligence as you put on your doctor lab coat, feelings of uniqueness dressing as a unicorn and an inclination to be more adventurous as you channel your inner Indiana Jones.

In eighth grade, my friend and I dressed as bikers, wearing leather pants, a tight black top and a studded jean vest. Wearing this edgy costume made me feel rebellious at this adolescent age.

Halloween is the perfect chance to channel your imagination and strengthen your creativity; the process of picking out a costume is not only fun, but what you end up choosing highlights your style and identity. In retrospect, when I dress up I do tend to be more poised as I slip into the disguise of outfit and allow myself to disconnect from the fears and insecurities of my everyday life. It also makes sense that I’ve always loved accessorizing and adding props to my costumes since I believe it makes you look the part, which probably contributes to helping you act the part.

In sixth grade, two other friends and I dressed as the three cheerleaders from “Glee.” On the back, we had the names of each character and I was Brittany, the unintelligent and obtuse cheer girl. I played into that role all day making vapid comments as a joke.

It’s important to keep in mind, however, that for some, dressing up can be daunting. In those cases, one may not take on the role of their costume due to an inability to connect with the experience of wearing the outfit. You also have to let yourself feel comfortable in what you wear and allow your costume to be your skin and guide your persona.