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Disorderly environments stimulate creativity [pdf]
- r0h1n 13y agoIt's a paper worth reading. For others, here's the conclusion: > There exists a large and growing industry around instilling environmental orderliness. Proponents claim that people see measurable life improvements from becoming neat and tidy, and they can point to multiple billions of dollars in annual revenue as evidence of success. In contrast, many creative individuals with Nobel prizes and other ultra-prestigious awards prefer — and in fact cultivate — messy environments as an aid to their work (Abrahamson & Freedman, 2007). One such person was Einstein, who famously quipped, “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” > As with many vociferous debates, it seems that both sides have a point. Orderly environments promote convention and healthy choices, which could improve life by helping people follow social norms and boosting well-being. Disorderly environments stimulate creativity, which has widespread importance for culture, business, and the arts. The use of systematic experiments to reveal the causal role of each setting means that people can harness the power of each environment to achieve their goals.