The Good Life: Look Good, Feel Better—The Magic of Dopamine Dressing
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Welcome to The Good Life! This week, we're talking mood-boosting outfits, modern weddings, surprising "unhealthy" health foods, outdated home décor and the high cost of breaking up.
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Dopamine Dressing: The Psychology of Putting Yourself Together
Want a mood boost? Start with your closet. 👗
We've all heard "look better, feel better," but what you wear can do more than boost confidence—it can actually rewire your brain for success.
Enter dopamine dressing, the idea that what you wear can trigger the "happy hormone." Mind performance therapist Lindsey Paoli says getting dressed to feel good first thing in the morning can set the tone for your whole day, boosting your mood and decision-making.
"When you feel your best, you're going to operate at your best," Paoli tells Newsweek.
But dopamine dressing isn't about picking a certain color, fabric or trend. The key here is picking what makes you feel your best. Maybe that's your yellow maxi dress, or your gifted purple sequin sandals or your favorite comfy yoga pants.
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In the workplace: As both a corporate consultant and psychotherapist, Paoli explains how wardrobe choices influence working professionals—highlighting the psychology of color and how that can impact confidence and connections.
"I think that there is such a big contrast between high-performing men and how high-performing women operate. And for women, specifically, having this creative outlet to add to their business in a way that's not necessarily business-related, is a great way to enhance their performance."
On the daily: The approach goes beyond the board room. Let's turn to a real life "case study" of sorts... being stuck at home during the pandemic. Remember how excited we were to take that first zoom in sweats? Or just being at home in PJs all day? Amazing. Then remember how we felt after doing that for weeks and months on end? Blah. At some point, you just want to feel put together.
That shift isn't just aesthetic—it's psychological. Whether you're still WFH, a stay-at-home parent, retired, or somewhere in between, being intentional about what you wear can spark a deeper mental reset.
"Rewiring your brain to believe something that maybe you haven't achieved," Paoli said. "So getting dressed a certain way is helping you to physically manifest that exact same thing in a very different, and potentially, more creative way."
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Getting through a rough time: This mindset applies during tough times too—grief, breakups, job loss, burnout. Getting dressed when you're struggling might feel like a chore or seem trivial, but it's a powerful form of self-care. A small win that signals: I'm still here. I'm still trying.
"When you're doing something that's so outward, even if it's in these small doses, it creates a lot of opportunity for traction in a different direction," Paoli said.
What to try today: Try the "joy check" à la Marie Kondo: Does it bring you joy? Yes? Great! If not, it might be time to part ways.
Clear the clutter: When you open your closet, do you see that little group of clothes you wear over and over and the rest that you will "wear it one day?" Again, consider giving these items to someone else or donating. Keeping clothes out of guilt ("I spent so much on it!") can reinforce scarcity thinking. Minimalism also helps calm mental clutter and also makes getting dressed less of a chore.
The idea is to pick more of what you love and what makes you feel good. And go have a great day 😎
Shattering Traditional Norms, How Gen Z is Marrying
By: Cameron Schoppa
I'm officially a married man.
Over the weekend, I married my incredible wife, Hannah—and honestly, the day couldn't have been more perfect. Everyone was happy, the drinks were flowing, and we had a great time.
But it wasn't your typical wedding in every sense. No, without realizing it, we found ourselves aligning with a growing Gen Z trend: breaking away from traditional wedding norms.
Traditional weddings are gradually dissipating, with a clear generational divide. A 2019 survey from The Knot revealed that only 18% of Gen Z respondents planned to follow conventional customs. That leaves a whopping 82% carving their own path.
Take us, for example. We opted for a small wedding—just a handful of close friends and family. These micro-weddings and courthouse ceremonies are becoming increasingly popular among our generation. Apart from the intimate nature of the ceremony, it's such a cost saving initiative. Granted, we still managed to spend thousands of dollars (oops) but compare that to the cost of a massive wedding with 200+ guests.
Cost definitely influenced some of our decisions though. We skipped the wedding party—no groomsmen or bridesmaids. And we're not alone. Nearly half of Americans now say it's just too expensive to keep up with this traditional expectation.
The average American wedding now costs around $35,000, so they have a point there.
One of our biggest departures from tradition? We didn't hire a professional officiant. Instead, a close friend (who actually introduced us) led the ceremony. Thinking about how Baby Boomers typically married, that kind of thing would've been unheard of. Back then, weddings were grand, formal affairs, often led by professional clergy. Wedding expert Steven Greitzer told Newsweek in 2024, that era was defined by "professional, polished celebrations."
But times have changed—and so has the way we celebrate love. Who knows what weddings will look like for Gen Alpha and Gen Beta? Maybe AI robots will be officiating by then. One thing's certain: future generations will likely keep moving away from tradition, leaning more into personal meaning and less into societal expectations.
And that's probably how it should be, right folks?
@doctorsanjaymd
After more than 15 years of treating heart disease from inside the body, Dr. Sanjay Bhojraj decided it was time to start preventing it from the outside.
"I realized that the conventional medical system was too focused on prescriptions and procedures—and not nearly focused enough on the immense power of diet and lifestyle to transform health," he told Newsweek.
Bhojraj explains the 10 foods, often marketed as healthy, that he avoids. Read the story.
In other news...
Home trends to ditch: Interior design trends come and go—and some once-popular choices are making homes look outdated or impractical. From gray-white interiors to barn doors, Newsweek asked experts which décor styles to ditch, and what to try instead. Read more>>
Interior design trends come and go—and some once-popular choices are making homes look outdated or impractical. From gray-white interiors to barn doors, Newsweek asked experts which décor styles to ditch, and what to try instead. Read more>> Too much screen time: A JAMA Pediatrics meta-analysis found that "parental technology use"—using devices around young children—is linked to poorer cognitive development, more behavioral issues, weaker parent-child bonds, and higher screen time in kids under five. Read more >>
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