Inside: Clutter impacts almost everyone. Find out how it’s affecting you, and what you can do to reduce clutter in your life today.
Do you feel like clutter negatively impacts your life? If you’re feeling like clutter is dragging you down, you’re probably right.
The Impact of Clutter
Studies have shown that clutter can have an impact on our brains, and women in particular have increased cortisol levels (stress!) when they notice clutter in their homes.
We can feel a lot of shame, embarrassment, and regret because of all of the stuff we keep in our homes. But if you’re feeling this way, you are not alone:
- A UCLA study of middle-class American homes showed that contemporary US households have more possessions than any household in global history.
- The average American household has about 300,000 things inside of it!
- One in seven families have a room in their house that they can’t use because it’s used for storage. {source}
- 48 percent of families think their homes are cluttered with stuff they don’t use. {source}
- US children possess 47 percent of the toys and books in the world. They only make up 3.7 percent of the world’s child population. {source}
- Nearly a quarter of homes with garages don’t have room to actually park their car in the garage.
- Frustration with clutter grows with age. Older adults can have a decrease in life satisfaction because of clutter. {source}
Clutter impacts our sense of well-being:
Clutter had a negative impact on self-reported well-being and a “strong negative impact on feelings of security, safety and other positive emotional benefits derived from a sense of psychological home,” a term that refers to the concept of “home” as a “vital source of meaning, belonging, and identity.” – from the Journal of Environmental Psychology
A Cluttered Life
Statistics about clutter can be shocking. To put things into context, it’s helpful to see the video below about the UCLA study of middle-class American homes.
If you’re like most people, you probably saw some things that reminded you of your own home, and your own family. And you are probably ready to take action.
Things You Can Do Today to Reduce Clutter in Your Home
- Stop the inflow of new stuff. Here are ways you can keep clutter out of your house.
- Create a decluttering list and focus on getting clutter out of the spaces you use the most.
- Need someone to just tell you what to do? Go here to get weekly decluttering checklists sent to your inbox.
More About the Impact of Clutter
- 21 Surprising Statistics about Clutter from Becoming Minimalist
- 7 Ways Clutter is Ruining Your Life from Fast Company
