You might think that being neat and tidy is the best way to get stuff done.

你也許會覺得環境整潔可以讓你好好做事。

But sometimes, it might actually be holding you back.

不過這也許會扯你後腿。

Research suggests that, in some situations, being kind of a mess can actually have its perks.

研究指出，在某些情況下有點髒亂也是會有好處的。

So neat freaks, cover your eyes—let's take a look at the science of messiness.

遮好你們的眼睛吧，潔癖怪！讓我們以科學角度看看凌亂的工作環境吧！

For one, messy workspaces might not be the productivity-killers people make them out to be.

第一，凌亂的工作空間也許不是大家覺得會阻礙產出的要素。

In fact, if you're trying to be creative, a little clutter might even give you a boost.

事實上，如果你想要變得有創意，一點點凌亂可能有助激發你的小宇宙。

Scientists have actually put this to the test.

科學家確實對這個理論做實驗。

In a study published in the journal Psychological Science in 2013, researchers hypothesized that people working in neat, orderly environments would think more traditionally, while people working in messy spaces would think more out of the box.

2013 有一期刊 (Psychological Science) 發表了一項研究，研究人員先假設在整潔的環境下工作的人，他們的思維會比較傳統，而在雜亂環境下工作的比較能跳出框架。

So they set up an experiment with 48 participants.

於是他們找了 48 位測試者參與該實驗。

They put people in either an orderly or messy environment and gave them… a ping-pong ball.

他們把受試者分成「整潔」和「凌亂」的工作環境，然後給他們… 一顆乒乓球。

Then, the researchers basically asked them to come up with creative uses for that ball.

接著，研究人員要求利用那顆球發揮創意。

Their answers didn't even have to be realistic.

答案可以很天馬行空。

They could say things like, "give it to a cat" or "saw it in half, and use it as a boat."

可以回答「給貓咪玩」或「把球剖半當成一艘船」。

Nothing was off the table.

沒有什麼是不可以的。

By the end, participants across the two rooms came up with similar numbers of answers.

而最後的結果是兩邊受試者答案的數量都差不多。

But the quality was different.

但是品質卻不一樣。

A panel of blinded judges graded the answers on creativity.

評審們會為答案依創意程度進行盲評。

And without knowing which was which, the judges rated the answers from the messier room as significantly more creative than answers from the orderly room.

在不知道答案出自哪一組的情況下，評審們認為比較凌亂的答案比較整潔的更有創意。

Score for the messy team!

「凌亂組」勝出！

There could be a good reason why that group was more creative, too.

有一個恰當的原因可以解釋「凌亂」組更有創意。

The authors suggest that an orderly space might put participants in a frame of mind where they're less likely to color outside of the lines.

作者指出整潔的環境會使受試者的思維遭框架住，他們比較會跟著規則做事。

In other words, they might see the rigid organization around them and then limit themselves to ideas that fit within that system.

換句話說，他們可能會把身邊，把自己的想法局限於以符合對應的系統。

On the other hand, people surrounded by mayhem might feel freer to do their own thing.

相反地，處於凌亂的狀態下做起事來比較不受束縛。

And that's not the only evidence in favor of letting your neat side slip a little.

這並不是唯一可以讓你放棄維持整潔的證據。

Findings from a study published back in 2001 suggest that your urge to keep things tidy may actually distract you from your task.

2001 年有一份研究的數據顯示，想要時刻維持工作環境整潔的慾望會導致你工作時分心。

The researchers involved took a close look at the paper-processing strategies of two types of office workers they labeled as "filers" and "pilers."

研究人員仔細分析兩種類型的上班族的文件處理策略，分別把他們標籤為「歸檔組」和「堆疊組」。

They looked at 50 workers in all.

他們總共觀察了 50 名上班族。

The filers looked at every document as it came in and filed it accordingly.

歸檔組會先看過每一份送到面前的文件，然後再按順序歸檔。

The pilers were more chaotic and let papers pile up.

而堆疊組的狀況則較混亂，隨意讓文件一直堆疊在旁邊。

You know which one you are.

現在知道你是屬於哪一種類型。

The researchers expected the filers to be the more efficient workers.

研究人員期望結果是會歸檔的人的做事效率較高。

But the results went completely against their hypothesis.

可是結果卻完全與他們的實驗假設相反。

They found that even though filers were taking stock of everything as it came in and categorizing it for easy access, they ended up saving much more junk than the pilers, and looked at the things they saved less frequently.

他們發現雖然「歸檔者」會仔細參閱每一份文件，然後再分類以便日後翻閱。結果會比「堆疊者」堆積更多沒有用的東西，而且也較不會再翻閱已歸檔的文件。

In the end, the filers seemed more worried about keeping their desk clean than keeping their workflow on track.

而最後「歸檔者」比起要跟上工作進度，反而會更在意要保持桌面整潔。

If a paper came in, they filed it away to keep their workspace tidy, even if that document wasn't really that useful.

因為只要有文件到面前，即使文件內容其實並不重要，他們依然會把文件歸檔以維持環境乾淨。

And, in general, since it takes so much effort to create and maintain a filing system, filers are less eager to go back in and clear everything out.

也因為他們需要花更多心思去設定和維持自己的歸檔系統，「歸檔者」比較不願意再回頭清理文件。

So they end up with well-organized, useless papers… forever.

然後他們就永遠保存一堆整理得井然有序的…廢紙。

Just the thought of sorting through years of filing might make you want to schedule a vacation ASA—but sometimes, that isn't the best idea.

長年都在花時間在整理歸檔文件，也許會讓你想盡快為自己安排假期…不過這不是個最好的主意。

It turns out that people who schedule their leisure time too strictly actually enjoy it less.

因為過份嚴格地安排空閒時間的人反而無法享受悠閒。

In 2016, an article published in the Journal of Marketing Research looked at thirteen studies related to scheduling leisure time.

有一篇發表於 2016 年的營銷研究雜誌探討了 13 份與安排閒暇時間相關的研究。

And the researchers found that just the act of scheduling an activity actually put kind of a downer on things.

研究人員發現安排活動的行為會導致你對事情感到沮喪。

People who neatly planned out their activities anticipated them less and enjoyed them less overall.

規劃得周詳的人對於規劃的活動的期望會降低，對活動的享受亦相對較少。

The study's authors think that might be because when you schedule something, you have to worry about all sorts of things—figuring out the time, the place, who's coming, who's not coming— and it can kind of start to feel like work.

研究的作者認為，這可能是因為當你在安排事情的時候，你需為各種各樣的事情而擔憂，像是時間安排、地點、參加者名單等，這又讓你感覺是在工作。

Even a spontaneous get-together can lose its spark if you try to structure it too much.

即使只是個自發性的聚會也會因為過份的安排以致失去其該產生的火花。

Like, just having a mental note that "Okay, first we're going to dinner, and then we're going to see a movie" can be less fun than going out, painting the town red, and seeing where the night takes you.

例如心中總是牢記著「好，我們先去吃晚餐再去看電影」，這樣可是比出門隨意大肆狂歡，讓行程順其自然安排少了很多樂趣。

As a result, researchers suggest scheduling a general timeframe for relaxing, rather than strictly scheduling all of your so-called free time.

總而言之，研究人員建議要安排一小段時間讓自己放鬆，不要為所謂的閒暇時間嚴格安排行程。

So if organization just isn't your forte, you might be alright.

如果組織統整不是你的強項的話，並不會有什麼問題。

A little mess and chaos in your life might just be doing you some favors.

你的生活中有點雜亂也許是有點幫助。

Thanks for watching this episode of SciShow Psych!

謝謝收看這集的影片。

And a special thank you to our patrons for making episodes like this possible.

要特別感謝我們的資助者讓我們可以製作出更多影片。

You all are part of an amazing community helping make education free on the internet, and we couldn't do it without you.

你們是這個社群的一份子，好讓大家可以在線上免費學習，沒有你們的幫助無法成事。

If you're interested in being part of this community, you can find out more at patreon.com/scishow.

如果你們有興趣加入成為一份子，可以瀏覽 patreon.com/scishow 以獲得更多資訊。