Mental Health

Organized Environment Linked to More Self-Control

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: Feb 11, 2014 04:51 PM EST

Getting organized may help you save money, according to a new study.

Scientists monitored people's behavior when placed in different environments.

The study wanted to see if there are changes in behavior, mental performance or stamina when people were placed in disorganized environments versus orderly environments.

In one experiment, participants were placed in a room that was either well organized or poorly organized. All participants were asked how they felt about paying for variety of products ranging from an HDTV to movie tickets.

The experiment revealed that people in cluttered room were far more likely to purchase the products compared to those in the organized room.

Another experiment placed participants in rooms that were either small or normal-sized. Researchers said the rooms were either messy or organized.

The findings revealed that participants in the organized rooms performed better on computer tasks than those in messy rooms. Researchers noted that room size did not affect participants' performance.

"Our research has crucial practical implications concerning public health and consumer well-being," researchers concluded. "Participants in our studies were exposed to disorganized environments set by us. We expect that if an individual creates a messy environment, their surroundings would be more mentally depleting and lead to an even lower sense of personal control."

The findings are published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

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