Can Manicures Make You Better At Your Job?

People always say that you should dress for the job you want, not the job you have. But what they never tell you is that a little pampering can take you a long way too. When I don’t have time to go to my favorite nail salon, NYC Nails, for a gel manicure I make do with a regular manicure and a really great top coat. I also take the time to find really great nail art tutorials on Pinterest so that I can do my nails at home if necessary.

I’ll admit it – this whole thing started as a joke. My best friend and I were having lunch and we started talking about how some of the women in our office dress like they’re going to an interview even if they’ve been there for years. So we decided that we would see who could get promoted first by dressing better than everyone else.

But after she got her promotion I realized that there was more to it than just dressing up. A good manicure also makes me feel more confident at work and in turn, helps me perform better at my job. In fact, since I started getting manicures regularly I’ve gotten several promotions!

It’s not just a beauty treatment. A manicure can mean the difference between a job well done, and getting fired.

“I think people take me more seriously when I have a manicure,” said Lisa Daniels, an office manager for a Manhattan company who recently had her nails done at the Art of Nails salon in Midtown. “It just makes me feel like I’m put together.”

Women with well-maintained nails are perceived as being more competent than those with unkempt nails, according to research published in January by psychology researchers at Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Manicures can also help a woman get hired and earn promotions, according to a survey conducted last year by Harris Interactive for the beauty company Avon Products Inc. Fifty percent of women surveyed who have received professional manicures or pedicures said they felt they were taken more seriously at work after having their nails done. More than one-third said it has helped them get jobs or promotions.

“Nails matter,” said Sherrie Haynie, professor of management at the University of Texas at San Antonio. “Whether it’s nail polish or nail color or whether your nails are bitten down to the cuticle … because you’re always

I am not a fan of mani-pedis. I never know what to tell the manicurist, so I usually just let them do whatever and then a week later my nails are already chipped and gross. But that’s just me and I think it’s probably because I’m bad at relaxing and also bad at sitting still.

But sometimes, when I’ve had a particularly busy week (like this one), taking an hour to sit and get pampered can really make me feel better. And now it looks like there’s some science behind those feelings! Apparently manicures can help you relax, reduce stress, and increase productivity.

Who doesn’t want that?

The report was commissioned by the Nail Manufacturers Council to look into the benefits of manicures. The researchers conducted three different studies with over 100 women each time. For the first study they looked at blood pressure, heart rate, and level of arousal in women before and after a manicure; for the second they asked women to rate their mood pre-mani and post-mani; for the third they looked at how receiving either a manicure or a brief massage impacted the productivity of women in a simulated office environment. In all three cases, the results were positive

You sit down at your computer to check your email, when you’re stopped short by the sight of your hands. They’re rough and dry from the cold weather, and you notice a chip in one of your nails. You sigh, knowing that you have that big presentation next week, but you don’t have time for a manicure!

Then again…you might want to make time. It turns out that people with well-groomed hands are more likely to be hired for a job (especially if it’s customer-facing) and even make higher salaries than those who don’t take care of their hands. To find out why we need well-groomed hands in the workplace, I decided to do some research.

If you’re like most people, the first thing you notice about someone is his or her face. But whether we like it or not, our hands can tell our potential coworkers just as much about us. Unkempt hands can send the message that we lack initiative, self-control and attention to detail — all of which are important qualities in any job. In fact, one study found that women with groomed nails made about $4,500 more per year than those with

The Spa at Saks Fifth Avenue. The Ritz-Carlton. A salon in the lobby of the new Four Seasons. These are not places I frequent, nor do they make me salivate as I flip through their high-end catalogs. Makeup and hair products? Sure, I’ll take all of them — but manicure and pedicure? I never really saw the point… until now.

I approached my appointment with trepidation, to say the least. The last time I had a manicure, it was pre-college graduation; post-homecoming football game (I was a cheerleader); and pre-prom (with my then-boyfriend). My nails were painted an odd color: a mix between purple and green that looked more like sludge than a fashion statement. They also had chipped nail polish, glitter glue from a craft project, and dirt from my mother’s garden under them. I would have felt embarrassed about my subpar nails if anyone had actually noticed them.

But this time would be different; this time would be fabulous.

In her new book “The Beauty Bias,” Stanford Law School Professor Deborah Rhode argues that beauty plays a significant role in hiring, promotion and compensation.

In one study, women with “high quality” manicures were perceived as more capable than women with “low quality” manicures.

In another experiment, men and women judged equally qualified job applicants with different levels of grooming differently. Men who groomed more were seen as more competent; women who groomed more were seen as more likeable.

Ever since the beginning of time, women have gotten manicures. Whether it was a simple polish or a full-on acrylic set, women have always found time to get their nails done.

With the new trends in nail art and other procedures, however, many women now spend hours and hours at the nail salon.

Nail salons are not just for your basic cleaning and polishing anymore. With the advent of new techniques like gel nails and 3D art, you can spend upwards of two hours getting your nails done.

But how does this affect your job?

Some would argue that it is distracting to others if you have outrageous nails with lots of colors or designs on them. If you are in a field where you have regular contact with clients, this could be true. However, for each person who is put off by a client’s nail art, there is one who will appreciate the beauty of the artistry.