I've been wearing bright, patterned sox almost exclusively for several years. I guess my doing so means something:
Despite our conforming attitudes, a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research[1] investigated the theory that people who are nonconformists can potentially be viewed as being more high status and more competent than those who conform to social norms.
So what does this say about your choice of wearing bright neon, rainbow-striped, or leopard-print socks? Well, it found people who have shown to deliberately choose to wear whacky socks, are seen as having increased status and competency in the eyes of others. In other words, people have the potential to see you as more brilliant, creative and successful.
Some key words in that quote: "potentially" and "potential". Some of us don't live up to our potential. But maybe wearing bright sox signals some potential; or maybe doing so is just a false signal used by some of us to signal something we're lacking and the bright sox are just wistful signs from wannabes.
Previous posts with photos of my socks:
I have lots more bright sox now than I did two years ago. In fact I actually wore out some of the sox in those photos, I wore them so much.