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Shop assistants in luxury stores are perhaps the most snobbish group of people. In their presence we feel we have to wear expensive coats to survive their judging looks.
奢侈品店員可能算是最勢利的一群人了。似乎只有穿著昂貴的衣服，才能逃過他們的“有色眼鏡”。
But according to research from Harvard Business School, putting on your ordinary gym sweatpants in a luxury store may boost your standing in the eyes of store assistants. Why? Because sticking out in distinct ways in certain circumstances can make you seem more successful and important than you actually are.
而根據哈佛商學院的一項研究顯示，穿普通運動服逛奢侈品店，會提高你在店員眼中的身價。原因何在？因為特定環境里與眾不同的出場方式會讓你顯得更成功、更具影響力。
In a series of studies recently published in the Journal of Consumer Research, Silvia Bellezza, a doctoral student, and two Harvard professors tried to examine what observers thought of individuals who deviated from the norm in the workplace and in a retail setting, The Wall Street Journal reported. What they found was that being a little different can socially benefit people — in some situations.
據《華爾街日報》報道，哈佛博士生西爾維婭·貝利扎及兩位哈佛教授近日在《消費者研究雜志》上發表了一系列研究論文，在這些研究中，他們試圖考察在工作場合和零售店里偏離常規會給他人留下什么印象。研究發現，在某些情況下，略顯與眾不同能讓人在社交中獲益。
“The problem is that conforming to noraptms is an easy and safe spot to be in,” Bellezza told The Wall Street Journal. “If you’re willing to deviate, there are upsides.” But, she also warned that acting differently risks losing the benefits that come with conforming, such as shared group identity and trust.
“問題在于，遵守定規是一種簡單而安全的做法。” 貝利扎在采訪中說道，“若你愿意特立獨行，也是有好處的?！钡?，她也警告道，不按常規出牌會失去遵循常規所帶來的好處，比如，集體認同感和信任度。
In their first study, they asked shop assistants in Milan to rate what they thought of people who walked into luxury stores wearing gym clothes. They were also asked to rate those who wore outfits typically considered more appropriate in luxury stores, like a dress and a fur coat.
在第一項研究中，他們讓米蘭的奢侈品店員分別評價兩種人，一種人穿著運動服走進奢侈品店；另一種人則在店中身著得體服飾，比如禮服或裘皮大衣。
You may think that a well-dressed individual was more likely to have the money to buy something in the store. But shop assistants thought the opposite. They assumed that a client wearing gym clothes was confident enough to not need to dress up more, and therefore more apt to be a celebrity making a purchase than someone wearing fur.
你可能會認為穿著得體的人更有購買力，但店員們的觀點卻恰恰相反。他們認為穿著運動服的人更自信，不需要盛裝打扮。因此，比起身著皮草的人，他們更有可能是一擲千金的名流。
Surprising results
出人意料的結果
The study found the same pattern emerged in academic and workplace settings: Students showed more respect to a fictitious bearded professor who wore a T-shirt than to a clean-shaven one who wore a suit and tie.
在學術領域和工作環境中，該研究也得到了類似的結果：學生們更尊重穿著襯衫，胡子拉碴的教授，而不是西裝革履，面龐干凈利落的教授。
Candidates entering a business-plan competition who chose to use their own PowerPoint presentation background were thought more likely to win than those who used the standard background.
在商業計劃大賽中，選擇使用自定義PPT背景的參賽選手被認為比使用默認背景的選手更有希望勝出。
However, not everyone can benefit from looking different. For example, wearing jeans to a formal event is always a social mistake. Andrew Luecke, a writer for the lifestyle magazine Esquire, said Harvard’s research should not be used as an excuse for not caring about one’s style and grooming.
然而，并非人人都能從與眾不同中獲利。比如，一身牛仔現身正式場合就犯了社交大忌。美國版《時尚先生》的寫手安德路·路耶克說，哈佛的這項研究不能成為不顧形象者的借口。
“You must know the rules to break them properly,” Luecke said. “Not just any filthy jeans will get you four-star service at luxury stores. They must be the perfect filthy jeans that fit properly and convey a sense of knowing but not caring. To paraphrase Sun-Tzu, ‘If you know your enemies’ swag and your swag, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles.’”
“你必須學會恰如其分地打破常規，”路耶克說，“在奢侈品店，不是任何一條破洞牛仔褲都能帶來四星級服務，只有時尚得不露痕跡且非常合身的破洞牛仔褲才能做到。引用孫子名言便是：‘知己知彼，百戰不殆’?！?/p>
