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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.
奢侈品店员可能算是最势利的一群人了。似乎只有穿着昂贵的衣服，才能逃过他们的“有色眼镜”。
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.
而根据哈佛商学院的一项研究显示，穿普通运动服逛奢侈品店，会提高你在店员眼中的身价。原因何在？因为特定环境里与众不同的出场方式会让你显得更成功、更具影响力。
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.
据《华尔街日报》报道，哈佛博士生西尔维娅·贝利扎及两位哈佛教授近日在《消费者研究杂志》上发表了一系列研究论文，在这些研究中，他们试图考察在工作场合和零售店里偏离常规会给他人留下什么印象。研究发现，在某些情况下，略显与众不同能让人在社交中获益。
“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.
“问题在于，遵守定规是一种简单而安全的做法。” 贝利扎在采访中说道，“若你愿意特立独行，也是有好处的。”但是，她也警告道，不按常规出牌会失去遵循常规所带来的好处，比如，集体认同感和信任度。
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.
在第一项研究中，他们让米兰的奢侈品店员分别评价两种人，一种人穿着运动服走进奢侈品店；另一种人则在店中身着得体服饰，比如礼服或裘皮大衣。
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.
你可能会认为穿着得体的人更有购买力，但店员们的观点却恰恰相反。他们认为穿着运动服的人更自信，不需要盛装打扮。因此，比起身着皮草的人，他们更有可能是一掷千金的名流。
Surprising results
出人意料的结果
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.
在学术领域和工作环境中，该研究也得到了类似的结果：学生们更尊重穿着衬衫，胡子拉碴的教授，而不是西装革履，面庞干净利落的教授。
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.
在商业计划大赛中，选择使用自定义PPT背景的参赛选手被认为比使用默认背景的选手更有希望胜出。
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，并非人人都能从与众不同中获利。比如，一身牛仔现身正式场合就犯了社交大忌。美国版《时尚先生》的写手安德路·路耶克说，哈佛的这项研究不能成为不顾形象者的借口。
“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.’”
“你必须学会恰如其分地打破常规，”路耶克说，“在奢侈品店，不是任何一条破洞牛仔裤都能带来四星级服务，只有时尚得不露痕迹且非常合身的破洞牛仔裤才能做到。引用孙子名言便是：‘知己知彼，百战不殆’。”
