Is it normal to have a messy house

Laundry is morally neutral. It was at once a revelation and utterly simple. So why have I been telling myself they do my whole adult life? And of course a lot of women have been soaking up these messages connecting our proficiency at care tasks with our value our whole lives. Davis points out that, societally, we have a concept for men who are good dads but not great at care tasks.

A good mom is expected not only to be emotionally present and engaged in the work of parenting, but to keep a spotless home and put nutritious meals on the table as well. After decades of feeling like a failure or worrying that I was constantly falling short as a mom, that message was just what I needed to hear. But I equally value his innate empathy and understanding. I want him to grow up treating himself with that same kindness when he falls short of perfection.

News U. Politics Joe Biden Congress Extremism. Special Projects Highline. HuffPost Personal Video Horoscopes. Follow Us. Terms Privacy Policy. In some cases, people are simply uninterested in cleaning up the mess they are living in. The fact that they are not bothered by it is a sign they simply got used to living that way. This often stems from the traits they picked up during adolescence continuing into adulthood. On the other hand, there are people whose messiness shows their ingenious and creative side.

What does a messy room say about you and your personality? Sometimes, however, this is not the case. 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.

The people who are depressed have a hard time getting out of bed, let alone cleaning their room. Depressed people often feel too fatigued or hopeless to keep up with the routine of household tasks. Depression can also make it harder to stay focused and have the energy to straighten up a room.

If you struggle to stay on task, it can be hard to devote the time and attention needed to keep things tidy. So while you might notice that the room is messy and have intentions to clean it up, finding the concentration and energy levels needed to do the task can feel difficult or even impossible. Talk about what is going on with your doctor or consult a mental health professional to get specific advice for your situation. Sometimes a mess might be frustrating. Figuring out where to start and how to tackle the problem can seem overwhelming.

This might mean prioritizing certain areas, learning new organizational tactics, or getting other household members to help with the cleanup. Is your messiness habitual? Some people simply do not place a high priority on having everything clean, organized, and in its place. In this case, messiness is simply a normal state of affairs. So what makes tidy and messy people different? Are some people just born with personalities that prefer order while others thrive on chaos?

While some might suggest that a cluttered room is a sign of a cluttered mind, those who prefer this type of environment are not necessarily disorganized. In some cases, a person's desk might look like a jumbled mess, strewn with papers, envelopes, and files. Yet they always seem to know exactly where each and every item is when they need it. Some of the most creative and productive people seem to thrive in this type of environment. I know exactly where everything is. If having a perfectly neat and tidy room is what inspires you and helps you feel productive and creative, it might mean that you have what is known as a Type A personality.

People with this personality type tend to be perfectionists. Having everything in its place helps fulfill their need for order and control. But if you tend to be more laid back in your approach to housework and tidying up, it might mean that you have more of a Type B personality type. People with this personality type are more relaxed than their Type A counterparts.

Rather than focusing on achieving perfection, they are more attracted to ideas, experiences, and creativity. And there is research that supports the idea that messiness also has an upside.

Kathleen Vohs, Ph. They found that while working in an orderly room encouraged behaviors such as generosity and healthy eating, working in a messy environment actually led to greater creativity. So while orderliness might be an aspirational quality, research has also shown that there are some advantages to being messy.

If you tend to have a messy room, here are some possible advantages backed by psychology research. The researchers believed that doing work in a clean and tidy space activates social norms encouraging people to do what is expected of them. Working in a messy space, on the other hand, relaxes that need and allows people to break free of social norms and expectations.

In the study, participants were placed in either clean or messy rooms and then asked to complete a task which involved finding new uses for ping-pong balls. The participants in the messy room condition were rated by impartial judges as coming up with more creative and innovative ideas than those who were in the clean-room condition. Such findings may have implications when designing workspaces, particularly for professions that require a great deal of innovation and creativity.

Employers might be encouraged to allow their workers to design and create workspaces that are more highly personalized, even if that means they might be less tidy. Some people tend to work better in highly organized spaces, while others work better in less organized environments.

Personality and preferences are things that come into play in such situations. Forcing a person who prefers a tidy space to work in a disorderly environment, for example, might actually result in less creativity and lower productivity. And jobs that are focused on efficiency and fast decision-making might be better geared toward tidy workspaces, while those that hinge on creativity might be better suited to less tidy spaces.

According to Vohs, one study found that subjects in a messy room were capable of solving brain teasers more quickly than those seated in an organized room. The scientist Albert Einstein, famous for his genius and creative thinking, was known for having a messy desk. In another experiment by Vohs and her colleagues, participants were randomly assigned to either a messy or tidy room.

They were then given a smoothie menu and told they were taking part in a consumer-choice study. They were told to select one of three smoothie options: a health, wellness, or vitamin boost. Half of the menus referenced the health boost option as "classic.