Today is National Clean Off Your Desk Day which provides an opportunity for us all to clean and reorganize our workspace so we can have a refreshed desk and a clean start to the New Year.
Cleanliness is actually associated with health, in fact, research conducted by NiCole Keith, associate professor in the Department of Physical Education at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis has shown that people who keep “their homes clean were healthier and more active than those who didn’t. In fact, house cleanliness was even more of a predictor of physical health than neighborhood walkability.”
Another study conducted by Kathleen Vohs and her fellow researchers at the University of Minnesota showed that participants in a clean room, compared with participants in the messy room, were more likely to choose an apple over a candy bar when given the choice. Now, having a messy desk isn’t all bad. In fact, a messy desk can promote creative thinking and stimulate new ideas, however, the connection between health and cleanliness can’t be ignored.
A clean desk doesn’t just help physical health but psychological health as well. A study published in the scientific journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that women who described their living spaces as “cluttered” were more likely to be depressed, fatigued and have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. And researchers at Princeton University found that clutter can actually make it more difficult to focus on a particular task.
Now, if all of this research hasn’t convinced you to check this against your own experience… What does it feel like when you have a clean and organized desk? Do you feel less stressed and tired? Do you feel healthier or are you more likely to make a healthy choice? Does it provide you with a sense of serenity or satisfaction?
If you want to participate in National Clean Off Your Desk Day then all you have to do is clean your desk, snap a picture, and use #CleanOffYourDeskDay to post on social media. Go ahead and tag Medifast too as we’d love to see those clean and healthy desks!
