If, as the saying goes, "the walls have ears," then furnishings
speak volumes. Bedrooms and offices reveal key aspects of your
personality, according to Sam D. Gosling, Ph.D., a psychology professor
at the University of Texas at Austin. Furthermore, these signs are
accurately picked up by others, including strangers, at an extremely high
rate.
Observers scanned 83 student rooms and 94 office spaces in search
of the Big Five personality traits: openness to experience,
conscientiousness, emotional stability, extroversion and agreeableness.
Observer ratings were then compared with self and peer ratings of the
rooms' inhabitants.
A diverse collection of books and magazines, as well as travel
souvenirs, betray openness and conscientiousness. Not surprisingly,
extroversion and emotional stability were more difficult to
pinpoint.
Observers were far more accurate after viewing subjects' bedrooms,
which are free of the restrictions imposed on offices. In bedrooms,
modest correlations were found between extroversion and clutter, and
observers perceived emotional stability in well-lit, airy spaces.
Strangers were more successful than acquaintances in rating
openness to experience, as indicated by distinctive decorating such as a
bedside light made from a vodka bottle filled with Prozac or an office
with a surfboard, according to Gosling.
Tags:
acquaintances,
airy spaces,
bedroom,
big five personality traits,
clutter,
collection of books,
correlations,
decoration,
emotional stability,
extroversion,
five personality traits,
observers,
office,
office spaces,
peer ratings,
personality,
psychology professor,
surfboard,
texas at austin,
travel souvenirs,
university of texas at austin,
vodka bottle
