CLUTTER AND ITS IMPACT ON BEHAVIOR AND MENTAL PROCESSES
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Clutter and its impact on behavior and mental processes
Chanmi Kim
Miami Dade Honors College
Author’s Note:
Chanmi Kim, Miami Dade Honors College
This research was supported in part by Dr. Belokon and pertains to the class Introduction to
Psychology (PSY2012) in the Spring Semester of 2022.
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Abstract
On January 1st, 2019, a show called Tidying Up by Marie Kondo was aired for the first time on a
viral streaming service called Netflix. The show was about a Japanese organizing consultant
called Marie Kondo who helped people organize their spaces in order to have them ‘spark joy’.
Her method consisted of two steps: first, to classify belongings into categories and put them
away together and second, to discard any item that no longer sparked joy. The show was
extremely successful in the USA. So successful in fact that there was a sharp rise in the number
of thrift store donations as the show’s popularity soared. (Today, 2019) Marie Kondo encouraged
the public to meditate on the effect our environment has on our lives as she believes that what is
around dictates the quality of the lives we lead. The question then is: is clutter and physical
disarray a reliable interpretation of our cognitive and emotional state? There are several studies
that seek to broaden our understanding about spaces and their impact on human behavior. The
goal for this paper is to break down the ‘clutter’ that can negatively affect our lives in the areas
of our mood, development, sleep, social life, and nutrition.
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Cluttered Mood and Development
Terminology
Mood is defined as “a disposition to respond emotionally in a particular way that may last
for hours, days, or even weeks, perhaps at a low level and without the person knowing what
“prompted the state” by the APA Dictionary of Psychology. There are several studies that
explore the correlation between mood and cluttered spaces (or the perception of a cluttered
space). It is important to remember however that the description of what is cluttered might differ
among the studies and that the criteria is not a set standard.
Method
A 2008 online survey conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health, This survey
started with an observational study of compulsive hoarders . They followed families for three
years and then were invited to fill out a questionnaire online. The questions were designed to
expose the level of family frustration using the Patient Rejection Scale buf the only participants
taking the survey would be someone related to the hoarder instead of the hoarder themselves.
There were two kinds of participants, people who lived with hoarders before the age of 21 and
those who lived with hoarders after that age.
Results
It was found that “kids living in a severely cluttered environment often have elevated levels of
distress, experiencing less happiness and more difficulty making friends.” (National Institute of
Mental Health, 2008).
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Discussion
Now, psychology explores a concept called representative heuristics. A representative
heuristic is an overestimation of what we personally believe to be right, especially when it boils
down to our beliefs.
So although, people might believe that clutter does not affect them
particularly or that they are the outlier in the behavioral changes associated with clutter, a 2011
study showed that: “strength of attentional modulation in the visual system is constrained by the
degree to which competitive interactions have been resolved by bottom-up processes related to
the segmentation of scenes into candidate objects.” (McMains and Kastner, 2011) In other words,
the more clutter around you the more competition there is for your attention resulting in a mental
tug-of-war. Human being’s visual attention is not built to accommodate several objects in a
frame with the same level of care and awareness.
Cluttered Sleep
Method
A recent study delved into the sleep patterns of individuals with hoarding disorders. This
study included participants who scored high in the Clutter and Hoarding Rating Scale. Their
quality of sleep was then measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) which consists
of a score of 0 to 21. A correlation and regression analysis was done on the data collected in a
span of 16 weeks.
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Results
The general conclusion was that if hoarders have cluttered/unusable bedrooms (and less
comfortable, functional beds), any existing risk for cognitive dysfunction, depression and stress
may increase as sleep quality worsens,” (Pamela Thacher, 2015) In other words, there could be a
detrimental effect on sleep quality when your surroundings are messy.
Discussion
Clutter increases cortisol levels as well which is the hormone responsible for stress. High
levels of cortisol are associated with the difficulty to fall and remain asleep. Furthermore, less
sleep induces a ramp in the production of cortisol leading to a vicious cycle in day to day life as
it gradually depletes your energy reserves not only affecting the amount of work but the quality
of it as well. It is optimal to keep each space in your bedroom compartmentalized by function
instead of by random decision, thus the spaces you should keep clean are not limited to the place
where you sleep but your floor, desk, drawers and other frequented areas.
Cluttered Relationships
Method
A 2016 study found that “more clutter creates crowding and impedes the interpretation of
microexpressions” (Cutting, 2016). A microexpression according to McMillan Dictionary is
defined as “a short, involuntary facial expression which can reveal emotions”. We rely on
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these microexpression to decode what people are thinking even if it is a subconscious process but
according to the study, the more there is around us, the less likely we are to pick up these
fractional moments that give away vital information in our day-to-day conversations.
Discussion
Most experts estimate that about “70% to 93% of communication is non-verbal”
(Lifesize, 2020). In other words, with a severe impairment in the ability to interpret and detect
these non-verbal cues, more than the majority of a message is lost. Some of the psychological
disorders that result in this misinterpretation include: schizophrenia, ADHD, generalized anxiety
disorder, etc. There is an overlooked external cause, however; clutter and hoarding practices.
Cluttered Eating Habits
Method
In a Cornell University study, two kitchens were set up. One was tidy and the other one
was filled with clutter ranging from newspaper, snack bags, among other trash. Participants were
then put in the two kitchens. There were a total of hundred participants.
Results
The ones put into the cluttered kitchens described feeling as if they were out of control.
In addition, women in the messy kitchen ate as much as twice the calories in cookies than
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women in the organized kitchen. One might think that one can outsmart surroundings but when it
comes to eating, there are tendencies that are much more prominent if our space is in disarray.
Discussion
Clutter can have an impact on our appearance as well. Although it is safe to assume that
there is no correlation between how we look and how organized we are there might be a
correlation between how much you eat and how your kitchen looks. In a study done on hoarding,
disarray was correlated “with increased body mass index (BMI) and symptoms of binge eating.”
(Raines, Amanda M., 2015) In other words, you are more likely to binge and overeat if your
kitchen is saturated with food or misplaced items.
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Conclusions
Cleaning is one of the most important actions we can do in those spaces that we
frequent, specially those that we inhabit. This is due to the fact that cleanliness is what ensures us
spaces free of bacteria, parasites and viruses that can be contaminants, but also any type of dirt or
garbage. It is considered according to health specialists that maintaining clean and hygienic
environments permanently is one of the most important and essential elements for a person's
health. But there are factors beyond the physiological benefits of keeping our spaces clean.
In addition to being important for health, to avoid the spread of diseases or allergies and
to have more comfortable spaces to live in, there are positive psychological effects on our mood,
development, relationships, sleep and eating habits pertaining to order. It is thus suggested that
the space in which you perform tasks is clean and tidy. It is also valid to use your surroundings as
a measure of your mental state so that you interpret it and make the appropriate changes to
maximize your productivity, performance and clarity.
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References
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