My Room, My Mess, My World

A bedroom with a desk full of books, colorful post-its, old photographs, dried flowers and a few cups of coffee is not synonymous with a chaotic life. Sometimes, the clutter of a space indicates the harmony of a creative mind. It is our essence and contains the logic of a chaos in which we feel identified: it is our personal world.

In the course of our life they have always instilled in us the need to be tidy, because order is synonymous with control and, moreover, an orderly environment also conveys a certain feeling of security. All of this is true, yet a mistake we often make is to conceive of disorder as an essentially negative dimension. Disorder is for many the image of failure, inactivity, laziness and abandonment.

Believe it or not, there is a real psychological theory of disorder. It is a scientific reflection that focuses on the analysis of what lies behind this behavior and this personality. A study conducted at the University of Minnesota in the United States, for example, determined that a cluttered space enhances the creativity of those who live there. This data, however, includes many nuances that we want to tell you about today.

The psychology behind the disorder

Let’s start with a really curious anecdote. Tracey Emin is a British artist who in 1999 presented an exceptional and surprising work to the world. It was simply a messy bed. On it were mountains of clothes, cigarettes, handkerchiefs, bottles of vodka… The whole, far from being attractive or aesthetically pleasing, was the representation of a personal drama. Of that feeling of bewilderment well known to anyone who has suffered because of his love life.

Thanks to that work of art, entitled My Bed , “my bed”, the artist was a finalist for the Turner prize and, in 2014, the Christie’s auction house in London sold it for 2 million and half a pound. Modern art always represents a challenge but, as the artist herself declared after the scandal caused by the auction, she herself usually works in messy environments like her work, because disorder, at least for her, is the seed of creativity.

A similar conclusion was also reached by a study published in the New York Times , which showed that, at times, a slightly disordered environment allows the mind to free itself from conventions and to feel freer to move in all directions in search of new answers. and new ideas. We must also not forget that one of the phases of creativity is precisely that hurricane of ideas that initially seems like a real chaos, until the time comes to make a decision and, therefore, to innovate.

Personal spaces and freedom of thought

The disorder that we create, and which we therefore understand and are familiar with, can never be a problem and will always be propitious, but only if we have some control over it. Psychologist Kathleen Vohs, a specialist in this theory of order and disorder, explains that in a work environment, for example, there should always be some organizational efficiency.

However, the fact of creating a visual space in which a certain chaos reigns with regard to objects and colors, generates a stimulus that allows our brain to relax and, at the same time, refine its ingenuity. Now, a fact to keep in mind is that not all personalities tolerate this type of imbalance. There are many differences on an individual level, and for this reason some people need absolute order to be able to be productive.

Beyond all of this, the conclusion we must come to is that a messy room does not at all reflect an irresponsible or chaotic person. Just as those who are very concerned with controlling and keeping their spaces and things in order do not suffer from any mental disorders and should not necessarily be accused of being obsessive.

Each of us has the right to live his personal spaces as he prefers and in freedom. Every corner of our home reflects our habits and this does not mean that we should receive criticism or be labeled. For example, it is said that disordered people do not have goals in life, that they are going through internal conflicts and that they do not throw anything away because they are excessively attached to their memories of the past.

This kind of stereotypes is not always correct, and if today we wake up and decide not to make the bed and not tidy up the house it may be that the decision was made because we have prioritized something else. It doesn’t have to reflect a trait of our personality. The disorder that we choose, control and that does not overwhelm us, far from being a noise, is a background that manages to calm a mind that identifies with what it possesses.