(Photographer: Hannah Puechmarin)
The way we choose to decorate our homes can reveal more about us than you might realise. Over the years, studies has found that our home decor choices can be a direct reflection of our personalities, with our overflowing bookcases, art collections and home office set-ups revealing a surprising amount about our levels of openness, empathy and even extroversion.
Photos and family heirlooms
If you’re someone who has plenty of family photos and personal heirlooms displayed around your home, then the studies agree that you’re likely quite a sentimental person. For many people, personal photos and items also affirm their sense of self, giving us a stronger confidence in who we are and where we come from.
Books
While it might be obvious that someone who owns a lot of books has an interest in literature and learning, the type of books that you own reveal even more about our personality traits. According to a University of Toronto study, people who read a lot of fiction tend to have higher levels of empathy than those who don’t.
Art
Art is also something that can give us a clue into people’s personality traits. During an interview on NPR, Dr Sam Gosling, author of Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You, explained that having original artworks on your walls “tends to be one of the big clues” that you might be quite an ‘open’ or ‘broadminded’ person. It’s likely that this is because having an interest in art and culture requires a relative level of curiosity, which lends itself to open-mindedness.
A home office
In the working from home era, most of us have some sort of office space in our abode. If you’re constantly feeling guilty about not keeping your desk tidy, then you will be pleased to hear that a messy desk actually indicates a higher level of creativity, according to a University of Minnesota study.
The amount of personal items you have in the workspace also gives us a clue into whether you prefer keeping your work self seperate from your home life, according to Dr Gosling. Those who decorate their desks, however, may be more extroverted than those who don’t — especially if they are decorating their desk in the workplace.
“Extroverts, they tend to decorate their spaces more,” explains Dr Gosling on NPR. “They tend to make them inviting places. They want people to come in. Extroverts just like people. And they are trying to lure you into their office so you’ll come in and yack with them rather than work.”
Maximalist or minimalist
Maximalist decor tends to be quite eclectic, and studies show that people who gravitate towards this type of decor generally possess a high degree of openness. In contrast, the same study found that people who like their spaces neat, tidy and orderly are likely to be more conscientious.
While that might not be particularly surprising, a seperate study found that tidier spaces have also been associated with more generosity. In a similar way, people who have a high level of agreeableness have also been found to be less materialistic than those who have lower agreeableness, which might suggest minimalists tend to be more agreeable than maximalists.
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