For the last nine months of March, many of us have spent every waking hour in the beloved rectangles of the Zoomiverse. Throughout, we’ve been extolling the virtues of great earrings as the ideal accompaniment to (and potential distraction from) your greasy bun and leggings.

But as we approach Thanksgiving in the year that might finally end, what are the rules for virtual family holiday gatherings?

Research confirms our abiding hunch that dressing up does have an effect on your outlook. Dr. Nina Vasan, a psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, describes “enclothed cognition” as the effect adornment has on how we feel and act. Turns out that your choice of bling can set the tone for what you are doing.

When you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you live better.”

As one of our mentors liked to say, “when you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you live better.” Basically it all comes down to: Don’t do it for them baby. Do it for you. (But it’s cool if they get to see).

So when it comes time to slice the turkey, tuck into the apple pie and watch the Cowboys lose (from 1500 miles away), dust off your formerly forlorn festive attire, reacquaint yourself with your makeup drawer, and finish with a shiny new bit of bling.

As a bonus, these mood lifting vibes will continue to pay dividends for the inevitable virtual Christmas parties, office soirées, and maybe even date Zooms to come.

We’ve got this, America. (And the icing on the cake is it’s so much easier to get up and leave from this dinner table…)