Messiness can actually be a sign of creativity and freedom. Or it may mean a teen is busy with school, hobbies, and socializing, and hasn't made time to clean their messy bedroom. However, a messy room can also be an outward sign of feeling disorganized or overwhelmed.
Mental Health Implications
A messy room can be a sign of deeper mental health issues if: Having a messy room is a new phenomenon. Living with the mess is something that actually bothers you. Being messy signifies something deeper going on.
A messy room can be a sign of depression or another mental health issue. Clutter affects your mood and can cause more anxiety or stress.
Those with messy house syndrome might be called “messies” or “hoarders.” They struggle to clean up or declutter their home due to underlying physical or mental health issues. Messy house syndrome presents in older adults, usually 60 and over. People with messy house syndrome cannot maintain a healthy household.
While extreme messiness can be the result of depression or behavioral issues, extreme organization can be a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Teens with OCD experience intense anxiety if anything in their room or their surroundings is out of place.
Being messy is not necessarily a symptom of depression. However, it can result from symptoms of depression such as hopelessness, lack of motivation, or social isolation.
In most cases, this clutter is directly linked to traumatic events. Clutter could stem from the fear of letting go. This would be especially the case if a person grew up during or shortly after a time of war when people did not have much and had to use everything they had until it fell apart.
Messy people are spontaneous and flexible
Because they thrive in chaos, messy people can roll with the punches. They don't freak out if something changes because they're used to commotion. These traits help them out in their personal life and they're also extremely valuable in the workplace.
A messy desk and intelligence go hand in hand.
A study by the University of Minnesota suggests, that the messy desk of geniuses is actually linked to their intelligence. If you don't spend much time cleaning and organizing everything around you, your mind is obviously occupied with more important stuff.
When you were a child your parents constantly nagged you to clean your room. Sometimes, when they threatened to ground you, you did clean it. However, almost all of the time you left it messy. Well, scientists discovered that this was a sign that you probably have a higher IQ than the average Joe.
Is a messy house a sign of mental illness, you might ask. Psychology says that messiness can indeed be a sign that a person is having trouble. Just like someone who is suffering from OCD and has to control everything, being a messy person might show that they are dealing with depression or some other mental illness.
There is a clear link between your bedroom and your mental health. If your bedroom is cluttered and messy, it can make it difficult to relax and fall asleep. If it's too bright and bold, it can make you feel anxious and uncomfortable.
A recent survey by Rent.com asked 1,000 single Americans what turns them on and off about a date's apartment. The results: 82 percent of respondents said they pay the closest attention to cleanliness. And 70 percent of men and 82 percent of women agreed that a messy apartment was the biggest turnoff.
A study from The University of Minnesota found that it's actually messy people who are more intelligent AND more creative.
Now, science has gone one-step further and proved that those who flourish in messy environments are considered to be happier in life.
Yes, it's true: New research says that introverts could have a higher IQ. Think you're a genius? Take this Mensa quiz to find out. Generally speaking, the more often people socialize with friends, the happier they feel.
Adults may display sleep problems, increased agitation, hypervigilance, isolation or withdrawal, and increased use of alcohol or drugs. Older adults may exhibit increased withdrawal and isolation, reluctance to leave home, worsening of chronic illnesses, confusion, depression, and fear (DeWolfe & Nordboe, 2000b).
A traumatized person can feel a range of emotions both immediately after the event and in the long term. They may feel overwhelmed, helpless, shocked, or have difficulty processing their experiences. Trauma can also cause physical symptoms. Trauma can have long-term effects on the person's well-being.
Clutter in the living room might suggest blockages in your social life, as well as your relationship with yourself, while a cluttered bedroom might relate to issues surrounding your sexual self, fears of intimacy or gender roles.
Clutter bombards our minds with excessive stimuli (visual, olfactory, tactile), causing our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren't necessary or important. Clutter distracts us by drawing our attention away from what our focus should be on. Clutter makes it more difficult to relax, both physically and mentally.
A messy, cluttered bedroom can affect you more than you might think, especially when it comes to bedtime. In fact, a study, conducted by New York's St. Lawrence University, revealed that a messy bedroom can lead to a poor night's sleep and increased anxiety.
A clean and organized space may make you feel more productive and put together, while a cluttered and dirty environment can make you feel scattered and anxious. Studies have shown that the amount of clutter you have in your home can greatly impact your well-being.
Clutter can make us feel stressed, anxious and depressed. Research from the United States in 2009, for instance, found the levels of the stress hormone cortisol were higher in mothers whose home environment was cluttered.