Mind over matter

Clear out your physical space to heal your psychological space, studies suggest

Although it first appeared in a poem by Robert Browning, the term “less is more” is usually attributed to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe nearly 100 years later. As both an architect and furniture maker, he believed simplicity and clarity led to good design. What perhaps he didn’t know is that this approach also contributes to psychological well-being.

Joseph Ferrari at Depaul University and Catherine Roster at the University of New Mexico recently examined the relationship between clutter, life satisfaction and procrastination.

They found a substantial link between accumulating clutter and the tendency to procrastinate. More clutter was also associated with decreased life satisfaction, particularly for older adults.

These results back up an earlier study by Darby Saxbe and Rena Repetti at the University of California, who were interested in how the state of our homes affects psychological well-being.

They asked 30 dual-income couples each to describe their home as if walking through it. The words they used were then categorized as “stressful” or “restorative” based on earlier studies showing that noise, crowding and clutter have adverse effects on health and mood.

They also tracked participants’ cortisol levels and asked them to take questionnaires measuring mood state and marital satisfaction.

Participants who described their homes as cluttered or needing renovation — and who said they were bothered by this — had continually raised cortisol levels throughout the day. They also reported somewhat lower mood and marital satisfaction than those who described their home in restorative terms.

What can you do if your home feels messy or full of half-finished projects?

CREATE A CLUTTER-FREE SPACE

If you’re bothered by the clutter at home but your partner isn’t, establish a “clutter-free sanctuary” — somewhere you can maintain in a way that restores you. Studies in Sweden and the Netherlands by Terry Hartig and colleagues found people chose to be in contact with nature when they wanted to restore themselves psychologically, so be sure to include house plants or a view of the natural environment. Or consider asking to take charge of all or part of a garden.

PRACTICE MINDFULNESS

Saxbe points out that the actual state of the home wasn’t as critical as whether participants felt stressed by their surroundings. Developing a mindful (non-judgmental) attitude could help.

DECLUTTER

I needn’t describe how to do this. Marie Kondo is the expert!

AVOID RE-CLUTTERING

Never shop without a list, and check out what you already have first to avoid duplication.

Finally, in order to avoid impulse buys, always wait 24 hours (exempting medical emergencies) before you actually purchase anything.