With cleaning, as with many other things in life, the important thing is balance. Living in a messy and dirty house is not only unhygienic, but psychology has proven that it is not good for your mental health. On the opposite side, Being obsessed with home cleanliness can be a sign that something is wrong. inside us.

But between these two poles there are hundreds of possible explanations for those people who tend to keep their homes spotless. Psychology explains to us which are the most likely according to each person’s circumstances. Do you dare to discover what your reasons are for keeping everything clean?

Cleanliness and personality

Are there disordered people and naturally ordered people? If you are one of those people who, no matter how much you try to maintain a certain order, always ends up losing their minds, or those who can’t stand seeing a stain on the tableyou might think so. But the truth is that the tendency to order or disorder is not completely innate.

However, psychology shows us that there are some personality traits (and even biological factors) that can determine whether we are more or less disordered. Although to a large extent, We owe this tendency to the education receivedlife experiences and cultural contexts.

As for those traits that are associated with cleaner and more orderly people, what psychology tells us is that those people with higher scores in responsibility (according to the “Big Five Personality Traits” model) tend to be more organized. This personality trait It has associated qualities such as self-discipline or the desire to meet goals. in a structured way, which in a certain way contribute to this predisposition to order.

On the other hand, Some studies suggest that more creative or flexible people tend to be more chaotic, and therefore more disordered.. Although the truth is that this association is not completely proven.

Emotional regulation mechanism

Beyond your tendency towards order or disorder, the most interesting thing about the relationship that people have with cleanliness has to do with its ability to act as an emotional regulator. In fact, studies suggest that there is a bidirectional relationship between cleanliness and mental health. People who enjoy greater emotional stability tend to keep their spaces tidier.. And, at the same time, tidying up can help us gain emotional stability.

This is due to several factors. For a start, When emotions are out of control, cleaning gives us the immediate feeling of mastering something tangible.. That is, it offers us a feeling of control within chaos.

Additionally, psychology has shown that clean, organized spaces reduce visual stimuli and distractions, which can calm the mind and reduce emotional overload. In fact, a study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin points out that the People who describe their homes as “messy” or “chaotic” have higher levels of cortisol in their bodies.the famous stress hormone.

Cleansing has many other benefits for the mind. Promotes attention, memory and creativityand it offers us immediate satisfaction as it is easy to appreciate the results of our effort. However, when this emotional management mechanism becomes an obsession, it becomes an unhealthy way of dealing with tension.

When the solution becomes the problem

Although keeping the house tidy and clean can be beneficial for your health, and an intrinsic part of the way you do things, There is something worrying about this cleaning becoming an obsession. Without needing to mention disorders such as OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), the obsession with cleanliness reveals major emotional problems.

Elaine Feliz, author of Crisis and Liberation, relationship expert and sexologist, affirms that those who are obsessed with cleanliness experience a process of “objectification” of life, in which things gain more value than people. These people are obsessed with everything being perfect, because the house is clean, the furniture is in its place and nothing is out of place.. This obsession with external order, the expert assures, is a reflection of a great internal disorder.

This type of tendency towards absolute order, Excessive cleaning can be related to personality traits such as perfectionism or extreme self-demand.. In addition, it is associated with certain anxiety conditions and may be influenced by trauma or negative experiences from the past.