Traditionally, we tend to associate messiness with disordered, slovenly individuals.
But just as scientists debunked the myth that lazy people are less intelligent or productive than their early bird contemporaries, they’re now disproving the idea that messy myrtles are somehow inferior beings to those who are tidy.
In much the same way that research revealed people who are late are more successful than those who are punctual, scientists have now come to the defense of being disorganised.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota, found that messy people are more likely to be creative and imaginative, than those who require neatness.
Leader of the study, Kathleen Vohs, told journal Science Daily that “Prior work has found that a clean setting leads people to do good things: Not engage in crime, not litter, and show more generosity.
“We found, however, that you can get really valuable outcomes from being in a messy setting.”
How did they draw such conclusions?
Vohs and her team asked participants to come up with new uses for pink pong balls. Some participants performed the task in a messy room, while others in a clean and orderly one.
Those that performed the task in a messy environment came up with more inventive and interesting ideas than their clean clean living counterparts, and tended to come up with more unconventional concepts, too.
“Disorderly environments seem to inspire breaking free of tradition, which can produce fresh insights,” said Vohs.
“Orderly environments, in contrast, encourage convention and playing it safe.”
Might be time to challenge your boss’s clean desk policy, then.
Read the full report at Science Daily.
