Science Reveals How Home Clutter Impacts You
Science Reveals How Clutter Impacts You
How does home clutter impact you? Recent scientific research offers significant insight into this question. Over time, homeowners accumulate stuff that often turns unsightly cluttered. Some eventually grow accustomed to it. Others perpetually want to address it but never seem to find the time or desire to do it. However, based on numerous scientific research studies, it appears that decluttering your home is essential for actualizing numerous benefits, including optimal health.
Household clutter involves the accumulation of seldom-used items and/or spaces filled with too much stuff (e.g., corners, basements, junk drawers, closets, attics, garages, and so on.). There have been numerous research studies on how clutter impacts individuals. They reveal that clutter leads to conscious and unconscious stress that impacts individuals on biologically and neurologically levels. In particular, household clutter can negatively impact focus, concentration, creativity, cortisol levels, and how pain is experienced.
Stress, Anxiety, and Depression
According to experts, constant clutter can lead to a perpetual state of low-grade, perpetual state of fight-or-flight, hidden, biological reactions, which negatively impact a person’s overall health. A 2009 study from UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives of Families (CELF) revealed that women who perceive their homes as cluttered tend to have unhealthy cortisol level patterns. Moreover, a cluttered, messy environment can prevent their cortisol levels from naturally declining during the day. It can lead to increase anxiety and depression while reducing the ability to focus and concentrate.
More Productive, Focused, and Less Irritable
According to the CEFL study, the stress level experienced by women at home was directly proportionate to the amount of stuff in their environment. “Conversely, in a Princeton University Neuroscience Institute study, the research found that participants were less irritable, more focused and more productive in organized environments verses clutter, disorganized spaces. “more productive, less irritable and distracted in the clutter-free environment versus the disorganized environment where their stress increased.” The Princeton researchers concluded that clutter in an environment could overload a person’s visual cortex. It creates stressful competition for attention in our brain, which interferes with processing information and focus.
Unhealthy Habits and Physical Activity
Coping On top of all this, according to a 2016 Cornell University study, stress that is caused by clutter might lead to avoidance and unhealthy coping strategies such as sleeping too much, binge-watching tv, or eating unhealthy food. Conversely, an Indiana University study discovered a correlation between a clean home and physical fitness. Research participants with cleaner homes exercised more often than those with less kept homes. “At the end of the day, the interior condition of their house seemed to be the only thing affecting their physical activity,” stated activity expert Nicole Keith.
Do you want to experience less stress, anxiety, and depression while gaining better health, focus, and overall well-being? If so, consider decluttering your home and work environments. Regular house cleaning services are a great way to maintain a clutter-free and clean environment.
About Property Refresh
Property Refresh offers satisfaction-guaranteed house cleaning, power washing, gutter cleaning, and window washing services throughout Chicagoland. Call 224-386-4836 to schedule your free, no-obligation in-home estimate.