Does wearing a suit make a difference?

That was the question Bennett Callaghan wanted to answer. As a postdoc at the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality at the City University of New York, Mr. Callaghan was researching what motivates people to give money to a stranger. Specifically, he wanted to know if a panhandling person’s attire would affect the amount that was given.

His 2011 experiment was conducted as he stood on the busy streets of New York and Chicago holding a paper cup and a cardboard sign soliciting help for the homeless. In one instance, he dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, and in the other, he wore a spiffy suit. You may have already guessed the answer — wearing the suit garnered twice as much as the casual attire. It’s an interesting experiment, and you can read more details of his findings here.