Intelligent people often get stereotyped as being organized and in control. But this is not always true. Many intelligent people are actually quite messy, and it’s not because they are disorganized or careless. It’s simply because they have a lot of interests and ideas that take up their time and mental energy, so keeping their homes or workspaces tidy isn’t a priority to them.
Messiness may be an indicator of intelligence because it means that the person is so focused on higher-level thinking, daydreaming, or exploring ideas that day-to-day tasks like cleaning just slip their mind. Furthermore, those with messy spaces tend to be more creative, curious thinkers who thrive in chaos and aren’t deterred by clutter or disorder.
As long as these messes don’t interfere with other areas of life, there is something interesting about intelligent people who embrace disorder rather than striving for perfection every step of the way.
Kathleen Vohs is a professor at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management who has conducted extensive research on the connection between messiness and intelligence. Her research suggests that intelligent people are more likely to have messy homes than their less intelligent counterparts. Vohs believes that individuals who are highly intelligent tend to be more focused on other pursuits than mundane household tasks, such as organizing and cleaning.
Furthermore, being untidy may actually benefit creative thinkers by providing them with a sense of comfort and enabling them to focus on their ideas without feeling the pressure to have a perfectly put-together space.
Additionally, her research found that having a messy or disorganized space can actually help fuel creativity and provide an atmosphere for generating new ideas. The findings from Vohs’ research indicate that having an untidy home does not mean that someone is unintelligent or unorganized; rather, it could be a sign of higher intellectual capacity.
5 Reasons Why Messy Houses Could Indicate High Intelligence
Selective thinking
Intellectually capable individuals often have the capacity to think on a higher level, which leaves them with less time to focus on the mundanities of everyday life.
Tidying up one’s home is often seen as just another chore that takes away from more intellectually stimulating activities, so intelligent people may be more likely to leave their homes untidy while they focus their time and energy elsewhere.
Thinking outside the box
Messy homes are often seen as an indicator of creative and curious people who are unapologetically drawn to chaos. It is a sign that the owner of such a home has the openness and willingness to explore ideas and think outside the box, even if it takes them off the beaten path.
In other words, having a messy house could be indicative of a high level of intelligence, since it usually means the person living there is unconcerned with conforming to societal standards and is more focused on pursuing their own passions and interests.
Prioritizing focus
It is difficult for intelligent people to be motivated to focus on mundane tasks such as cleaning when faced with a plethora of stimulating ideas, topics and projects begging for attention. It can be hard to resist the temptation of following one’s curiosity, especially when it offers so much more mental stimulation than cleaning.
Intelligent people may struggle to prioritize mundane chores over intellectual activities they find more intriguing and rewarding. However, this does not mean that they are unable or unwilling to perform these tasks; rather, it means that their desire for knowledge and exploration outweighs their desire for cleanliness.
Underestimate the time to complete a task
Intelligent people may struggle to accurately gauge the time it takes to complete a task, particularly tasks that involve organizing and cleaning. Cleaning and organizing are often time-consuming activities that require an immense amount of focus and attention to detail.
Intelligent people can easily become absorbed in the task, leading them to greatly underestimate the amount of time they need to finish it. They may also find themselves drifting away from their task at hand in favor of other more interesting endeavors, which would further decrease the amount of time they allocate for completing the task. As a result, intelligent people often underestimate how long it takes for them to complete seemingly mundane tasks.
The perfect mess
Messy spaces provide a sense of comfort for intelligent people who don’t want to spend too much time or energy on decorating and making their home or workspace aesthetically pleasing. Messy homes can give intelligent people the freedom to express themselves without worrying about how they could be judged by others, while also allowing them to focus more on activities that they enjoy such as reading and learning.
The clutter in their space may even stimulate creativity, providing inspiration for new ideas and projects. In spite of the mess, a person’s intelligence is still visible; however, these intelligent individuals do not need to feel obligated to conform to society’s expectation of a neat and tidy home in order to prove it.
Final thought
Intelligent people often have messy homes due to their focus on activities and projects that are more stimulating than cleaning or organizing. Messy spaces can provide an atmosphere of comfort where these individuals don’t feel the need to impress anyone with how tidy their home is.
Furthermore, the clutter in their space can even inspire creativity and innovation, providing a pathway for new ideas and interesting projects. Ultimately, intelligent people should not be ashamed of having a messier home as it is a testament to their intelligence and creativity.
