What Psychologists Know About Your Clutter That You Don't 👀

Ever wondered why clutter seems to take over? Psychologists have revealed some insights about our links to possessions. Let's delve into the world of biases, distortions, and influence to understand what psychologists know (that you don't).

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[julieyoung]

When I was 15 after my Mother was killed, my Father came to me one night and said we are moving 3, 000 miles away in the morning. Just pack a change of clothes as the moving company will be bringing all of our possessions immediately. Found out a week later, there was no moving van coming. I lost everything I ever owned in my life. I know that's where my "Clutter" comes from.

[robertas.]

Taking a photo of your your space so you can "step back" and study your area can really can be an eye opener. I first noticed this when taking a photo of my child and it really hit me how cluttered and messy the area was in the background.

[HandbrakeBiscuit]

So I needed to tidy my desk, decided to procrastinate for 15 minutes by watching this video, and now I have a degree in psychology... ;)

[maryracine]

I notice my clutter when a visitor is coming over.

[deviritter]

The getting rid of things represents giving up a dream, hope or intention in my case.

[robertjohnson]

What was not mentioned for why some like to hoard resulting in clutter is the survival effect. Like a squirrel storing acorns for winter. An immigrant having to leave their country with only a suitcase and the clothes on their back. For these people, clutter is the antidote and signifies permanentcy and a buffer against starvation. They can always sell these items to buy food. Even offspring of immigrants may inherit this trait through epigenetics.

[carolevanlandingham]

After I make that decision, I do not even recall what I have gotten rid of. So, I guess that means I only get rid of what I do not treasure. I feel liberated and proud of myself.

[PurdyBear]

I think there are two reasons why I have a cluttered environment. The first is the trauma of an abusive childhood- it literally is a protective barrier. The second is a parent removing items without my permission, thus I didn’t learn a decision making process. A child is quite capable at a certain age to decided to keep or donate a toy. By taking away a much loved toy I think it’s literally giving the child grief. Thus an aversion to getting rid of stuff. That’s my theory anyway.

[timeparty]

I'm tackling clutter right now, losing stuff which holds memories is hard especially when my memory is fading, I use my stuff to recall my life experiences, hence the reluctance to let it all go. My partner has really helped by suggesting I take a photograph of all these items before giving them away to charity.

[tomyoung]

I’m pretty sure my house is cluttered because I prioritize other things

I can come home and pick up or I can come home and grab my guitar, do something with my dog etc

[kimberlyperrotis]

I only have trouble decluttering my wardrobe and I know exactly why. For the first, long, part of my life I had little to wear, only one pair each of pants and shoes, three short-sleeved tops, one nightgown, and no outer wear, robe or slippers, etc. I was always cold, I didn’t get enough food, either and was emaciated, and I always felt very inferior because I lived poor in a very wealthy area. When I graduated from university, my ex also made a great fuss if I bought anything to wear for my career, even though I was the sole earner. It’s hard to get over that kind of real scarcity, but I’m trying. My grandmother had it from being a teen and young adult during the Great Depression, too, but she hoarded everything.

[katec]

It's so interesting reading everyone's reasons for clutter, there is often some kind of trauma involved. I recently realised that I used to love buying clothes because they were a kind of armour against being bullied. Where I grew up if you looked good and dressed well people would begrudgingly respect you, so it was a protection mechanism. I also used shopping as an avoidance mechanism for things I needed to be doing and a way to comfort myself when I felt depressed. I eventually distanced myself from these sorts of people but I found myself with a house full of clutter, too many clothes, very few connections in my life and problems that I needed to face. I would still find myself wandering around shops feeling depressed and lost. It makes shopping for things I actually need difficult, as I have to ask myself if I'm just using shopping as an avoidance strategy or whether I do need the item I'm looking for.

[allouttabubblegum]

As much as having an uncluttered appearing home is good for mental health, it makes us vulnerable and dependent on the system. If there's a real emergency, the stores will run out of food in 1-2 days. My family has hoarded for generations, I think it's trauma from the great depression passed down generationally. If you keep it organized, you're not a hoarder, you're a maximalist!

[ellen]

I have lost *everything I own* more than once in my life! The first time was two boxes and a suitcase of my favorite clothes. I stayed at a friend's house while moving and someone mistook them for something going to charity and when I woke up, they were gone. A decade later, I was married and had some nice antiques, old books, (etc) and a Victorian house to keep it all in. My husband decided we had to sell everything and start over somewhere else. I tried to stop the house sale and never signed the papers. He or the agent signed my name and sold the house. 30 years later in a rented house, I still mourn my losses, I still cry over my house. I now have "organized clutter." I keep clothes, books, keepsakes, etc. in stacks of clear plastic boxes that seal with gaskets and clamps. It has taken 8 years living in this place for me to finally decide to go through the boxes and separate things that I will never use from what i will. I am amazed how much I'm getting rid of! Nothing will bring back my house, but I have some keepsakes. Photographs and memories. So, "progress not perfection" is my new motto as I whittle this down to a manageable amount.

[lindzee]

"Creative minds are rarely tidy." Life is easier when you stop caring what other people think of you.

[BlueMoonlb]

My dad died when I was 16 and he was also a hoarder. I was brought back to our apartment to gather some things as my uncles were there ripping everything apart and dumping all that they could. I was asked if I wanted to keep certain things but I was still in such a state of shock that I left a lot of things that I wished I had kept later on. I developed a hoarding problem myself after that. It took a lot of time and some medication for things to improve, but I still have some lingering hoarding tendencies and a lot of trouble with organization.

[kaythegardener]

When I had extremely poor eyesight, ie, functionally blind without glasses, yet had to navigate in the dark to go to the bathroom, I had items all along the path. When there were no walls to guide me, I put waist high chests, etc, so there was no more than 24" gaps in the spaces. After many years, I finally reached 65 years & got Medicare, so my eye doctor did cataract surgery on both eyes. Now I put away much of that furniture & no longer stumble along...

[debbietodd]

I love a clear, uncluttered space and have really awakened to that as I have spent the last month clearing out my Moms' little apartment and couldn't imagine how much STUFF she crammed into that tiny space! I have always had a problem letting things go and I know it comes from a real lack most of my life and/or an inability to replace that item with something else. I also have such an emotional attachment to things as we had so little when I was growing up. I am older now, a widow and living in a tiny space, hanging on to bins of belongings in the hopes of one day having more space to display know, let them go! I don't want to leave my kids with the job I just had clearing my Moms apartment 😞

[noahjuanjuneau]

Over the past six months (since returning from a journey to the tropics of SE Asia) I have sold, given away and discarded everything I own(ed). Everything. All I have left now fits into two suitcases. I did spend several minutes early this morning searching around my empty house for an item I use almost everyday and after looking in every room suddenly realized I had donated it to the thrift store two days ago! Ha ha ha! Well, I don’t need to look for THAT anymore! Yup. Free of all that stuff (2, 000+ CDs of rare music, hundreds of books, all my dishes, a closet filled with clothes I seldom wear… (I now own four shirts). All gone. Free at last. Free at last! Think I’ll go for a walk.

[rosemaryallen]

A tip I was given, which has proved invaluable, is to retain one item out of many, which encapsulates the significance of a collection of stuff, and to discard the rest. That way, the memories are preserved, and the emotional discomfort of the loss easily overcome.