Do you know of someone who doesn’t keep things very tidy? A little more on the messy side? You could say their space might be unorganized or all over the place. I’m sure everyone has someone like that in their life.
Would you also say that this person is more insightful? More of an out-of-the-box type thinker?
For generations, there has been an ongoing argument on whether kids should keep their rooms clean or messy. Sometimes the room won’t be immaculate and that will start an argument or fight between parents and the child. Sometimes parents even mention to family and friends about their kids’ rooms. Often dirty and clean clothes will be mixed, walking over piles on piles of clothes or snack bags.
Disgusting? Certainly, it’s a bad thing, right? Not exactly. Many kids will get punished for having a dirty room or even being bullied by family members. However, multiple studies have shown that a messy room allows children to be more creative and come up with new things and ideas.
Yes, parents are trying to teach their children about the importance of having a clean and tidy environment so that they understand how to keep clean for guests and their mental health in adulthood.
Many studies show that people with mucky and dirty rooms are willing to challenge themselves to figure out problems or have more creative ideas. The article, ‘It’s Not Mess, Its Creativity’ brought people together, placing them in clean or messy rooms and asking them for smoothies they would try from a fake menu. Choosing either one of the ‘Classic smoothies’ or the ‘New smoothies’. During this test, people in the tidy rooms decided to select one of the classic smoothies, rather than the new ones. The people who were placed in the dirty rooms chose one of the new smoothies. This suggests that people in messy rooms will try new things and be more creative.
So. why does it matter? Should we keep our rooms clean or messy?
There are many important reasons why you would want your kids to clean their rooms. It allows them to be more organized and prioritize what is important or what matters most. Organization is extremely important, as well as keeping track of plans and assessments and having good break days.
Sanitary rooms have better air quality, a better impact on a person, and generally lead to a positive attitude. However there are also plenty of reasons why you wouldn’t want your children to scrub their rooms. People in untidy spaces tend to be more intelligent, and more open-minded. Their unorganized surroundings allow their minds to quickly think of ideas and figure out problems.
So when you walk into someone’s room, you see papers, empty containers, and dirty laundry mixed with clean. Don’t quickly judge or complain about their room. Instead, appreciate and congratulate them on what they do for you. This messy room is most likely sparking their creative minds and their surprising ideas. They are certainly aware of the mess and will eventually get around to fixing it up.
