Nowadays many companies operate a clean desk policy but the results of a recent study from the University of Minnesota might cause them to think again!
The results are a victory for clutter lovers – a messy desk can be good for the brain! It has now been scientifically proven that people working in a messy office come up with more imaginative ideas.
At the same time the study also identified that tidy workers are more generous and are more likely to be healthy eaters.
Heres’s how it worked;
Two offices were used for the experiment, with the same view, furniture and amount of sunlight. One was free of clutter; the other had computer equipment and paperwork scattered around.
Volunteers sat in one of the two rooms to complete a questionnaire, distracting them from the real purpose of the experiment.
They were also offered the chance to give money to a charity and to eat an apple or chocolate. Those in the tidy office were more likely to donate, and chose the apple over the chocolate.
In a test of creativity, the two groups sat either in a spartan room or surrounded by mess as they thought up ten uses for a table tennis ball. Both had the same number of ideas, but those from the untidy office were more interesting and creative, the journal Psychological Science reports.
The conclusion for companies is that being in a messy room can inspire creative and stimulate new ideas. Disorder inspires the mind to break free of convention and try new things (it is believed Einstein liked to be surrounded by clutter!) – so a touch of clutter might aid imagination.
During the study people working in a tidy environment were more likely to choose the healthy option of an apple rather than a chocolate bar when given the choice. Researchers claim that this means clean desks can promote a healthier lifestyle. Overall, tidy people also donated money to charity and were more generous.
So whether we have control over the tidiness of our working environment or not, this research show that simply being exposed to it can affect you. Food for thought!
The findings are published in the journal Psychological Science.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2385384/University-Minnesota-study-finds-working-cluttered-environment-makes-creative.html#ixzz2bN0DKzYd
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