Can Being Messy Be A Positive Thing?

A recent study found that "messy people" are more creative than those who are organised.

18:06 16 December 2015

Studies have shown that there is no need to be ashamed if you're not organised - as Albert Einstein famously quipped: “if a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?”

 

According to researchers at the University of Minnesota, working at a neat, tidy desk is likely to make a person eat healthily and be more generous. However, a messier desk promotes creativity and help give birth to interesting ideas.

 

The researchers asked participants to complete questionnaires and were made to choose between a clean and untidy office littered with paper and stationary. The participants were then asked to donate to charity and to choose between eating an apple or a piece of chocolate on the way out.

 

While those who were in the tidy room donated more money and opted for the apple, those who chose the untidy office came up with creative and interesting ideas when asked to invent new uses for ping-pong balls.

 

Kathleen Vohs who led the study said that orderly environments "encourage convention and playing it safe."