Psychologists have found out what the habit of making a mess in your room speaks about.
The desktop of the world's most famous scientist, Albert Einstein, was always a mess. When the great physicist was told that it would be nice to put things in order in the office, he replied: "If a mess on the table means a mess in the head, then what is the empty table talking about?"
We all, of course, respect Einstein and his theory of relativity (although we don't understand anything about it). However, what is allowed to Jupiter is not allowed to the bull. And if your own child answers you in the spirit of Einstein to a request to remove the srach in the room, then the hand will involuntarily reach for the belt. How else? After all, we were taught that big problems start with little things. Today his socks are scattered on the floor, tomorrow the bed is not made, and then his whole life will roll downhill …
But do not rush to apply punitive measures! Research by scientists has shown that not in all cases a mess needs to be burned out with a hot iron.
A group of psychologists from the University of Minnesota, led by Kathleen Vohs, reasoned that since chaos and order are inherent in nature, then perhaps every environment is ideal for certain activities. This theory has received experimental confirmation.
Experiment # 1: Living Healthy and Doing Good
Experience description:
Promotional video:
To understand how the environment influences the mood of people, scientists conducted tests in two rooms: one was in perfect order, and in the other they made man-made bedlam. A large group of students was launched into each of them, the boys and girls did not know about the purpose of the experiment and, according to the official version, had to fill out questionnaires that were not at all related to the research topic. For this work they received a symbolic reward of 3 euros. When leaving the rooms, the students, firstly, could choose an apple or a chocolate bar as a bonus. And secondly, donate some money to charity: donations were collected for toys and books for children in need.
Result:
It turned out that the guys who worked in the perfectly cleaned classroom donated twice as much money as their peers who occupied the "dump" (3.19 euros versus 1.29 - that is, the "neat" people even reported money from their own pockets!). Moreover, the environment influenced the behavior of the students. Thus, 67 percent of young people who studied in the classroom of the "high culture of everyday life" preferred to take an apple rather than a "harmful" chocolate. Those who worked in a messy environment took an apple only 20 percent of the time.
A comment:
“A good cultural environment is more conducive to socially accepted behavior,” says study lead author Kathleen Vohs. - In particular, it is a choice in favor of a healthy diet and active financial support of charitable organizations.
And chaos breeds chaos in full accordance with the theory of broken windows. It says that a small violation of the norms is a catalyst for asocial behavior in general. For example, if one window is broken in a house and no one has bothered to repair, then soon there will not be a single whole window in the building.
Experiment # 2: chaos is the basis of creativity
Experience description:
Psychologists divided 48 students into two groups. The children were given a creative task: they had to come up with a new application for tennis balls. Each idea was rated on a 3-point scale, with 1 assigned to the most commonplace proposal and 3 to the most creative. Naturally, one group of children occupied the apartment, where they had just run a marafet, and the second was placed in the "pigsty".
Result: Both in terms of quantity and quality of ideas, the students who worked in a messy atmosphere won an unconditional victory.
A comment:
- As we expected, creative ideas are badly born in a sterile environment. It promotes a mentality that is based on customs and rules, the researchers say. - But the disorder stimulates creativity, because it inspires to break with tradition, conventions and overcome the usual train of thought.
Experiment # 3: We're looking forward to change
Experience description:
This experiment involved 188 people. They were told that a nearby eatery needed help with positioning a new drink - a fruit cocktail. Its advantage is that it is useful, healthy and vitamin. It was necessary to decide how to serve it to visitors: as a "Classic" or as a "novelty" In such a cunning way, scientists wanted to find out whether there is a connection between the environment and the demand for change or a tendency to conservatism (if there is peace and order).
Result: It turned out that being in a mess creates a desire for revolutionary sentiments. People who pondered over the slogan in bedlam were inclined towards Novinka, while those who were surrounded by cleanliness and order voted for Classic. However, this is not news for those who listened to Viktor Tsoi's song "We are waiting for change!", Written in the stoker.
A comment:
Psychologists have concluded that bedlam stimulates the desire to experience something new. And the "barracks" order encourages conservatism.
TOTAL
A mess or perfect order in a room itself is not evil or a virtue. Both are natural states for a person and can be beneficial. And if your offspring has spread a srach on an incredible scale, and you can't do anything about it - don't kill yourself too much! Tell everyone that this is how you develop your child's creativity.
YAROSLAV KOROBATOV
