How Clutter Affects Your Mental Health: What Science Says About Stress, Sleep, and Focus.
Ever feel overwhelmed by your home or that it isn’t quite the peaceful sanctuary it should be? You’re not imagining things, your environment might be playing a bigger role in your mental health than you think. In particular, clutter has a sneaky way of chipping away at your well-being in ways that go far beyond what you can see on the surface.
The Emotional Cost of Too Much Stuff
A 2016 study revealed just how deeply clutter can affect the way we feel about our homes. When your space feels overloaded, it doesn't just look chaotic, it can also weaken your emotional connection to the place that's meant to be your safe haven.
Researchers found that clutter:
Increases stress
Diminishes feelings of control
Reduces overall satisfaction with your living space [1]
And this clutter creates a ripple effect. A 2009 study discovered that women who described their homes as "cluttered" or "chaotic" had higher levels of cortisol (the primary stress hormone) even when they didn't consciously feel stressed.
Women who viewed their homes as peaceful and restorative showed healthier stress patterns and better moods throughout the day. Interestingly, men didn't experience the same level of impact, which suggests that the mental load often carried more by women plays a role in how clutter affects wellbeing at home.
The key insight? Your space can impact you on a physiological level, even when you're not fully aware of it. [2]
Your "Psychological Home" Matters More Than You Think
What stood out to me in a 2021 study was this: it's not just the amount of clutter that matters, but how cluttered your home feels to you.
In my work, I've seen how personal this is. How you view your clutter is deeply subjective, shaped by your values, sensory needs, and even social expectations. The study connects this to something called "psychological home", how strongly your living space feels like a reflection of who you are. When clutter interferes with that sense of identity, your overall wellbeing can suffer. [3]
A UK study from 2020–2021 reinforced this finding. People who felt their homes didn't reflect their identity (often because of clutter) reported:
More stress
Lower moods
Less life satisfaction
But here's the encouraging part: those who planned to declutter and spent time caring for their homes saw real improvements in their mental health. Simply taking steps to reconnect with and organise your space can help you feel better. [4]
If you’re planning to declutter I’ve written previously about some simple mindset shifts and questions to ask yourself that can help.
Clutter Affects More Than Just Mood
Your eating habits: It might surprise you, but clutter can even influence what you eat. A 2016 study found that chaotic environments, like a messy kitchen, can lead to overeating, especially sweets and snacks. But there's an important twist: people who felt more in control, even in the same cluttered space, were less likely to overindulge. So it's not just about the disorganisation, it's about how it makes you feel. [5]
Your sleep quality: A 2017 study showed that tidying your bedroom can lead to better sleep. Participants who kept their bedrooms clean over just five days reported falling asleep faster and sleeping more soundly. [6]
The Procrastination-Clutter Cycle
Two studies from 2018 explored a major factor behind persistent clutter: procrastination. Whether it's avoiding decisions about what to keep or simply not getting around to tidying up, this pattern can lead to serious accumulation over time, and it was noted across all age groups.
In my experience, a challenging cycle can develop:
Procrastination leads to clutter
Clutter then fuels more procrastination
You feel stuck and overwhelmed
It's no wonder people reach out for support. Addressing procrastination gently could be one of the most effective ways to reduce clutter and the stress that comes with it. [7], [8]
If you’re looking for some easy wins, in this blog I cover 10 items that are a common cause of household clutter.
The Battle for Your Brain
Visual clutter is a cognitive drain. A 2016 study found that environments full of competing visual stimuli can overload your brain, reducing your ability to focus and remember. Research shows that clutter bombards your attention with distractions, forcing your brain to work harder to stay on task. When clutter builds up, maintaining focus and concentration becomes genuinely more difficult. [9], [10]
Even emotional intelligence is affected. A 2016 study revealed that cluttered backgrounds (like a busy scene behind someone's face in a movie) make it harder to read emotions accurately. Clutter doesn't just interfere with concentration; it can actually impact your ability to connect and empathise, with real consequences for your relationships. [11]
The impact on caregiving: A 2021 study highlighted how clutter and noise at home can raise stress levels and interfere with caregiving. In households with children, elderly family members, or anyone needing support, a chaotic environment can make caregiving feel overwhelming. Creating and maintaining a calm, organised home isn't just helpful, it's essential for emotional balance and fulfilling caregiving roles effectively. [12]
Reclaiming Calm, One Space at a Time
Dealing with clutter isn't simply about being tidy, it's genuinely about mental health and wellbeing.
The evidence is clear. Clutter affects:
Stress levels
Sleep quality
Focus and concentration
Emotional connection
Relationships and caregiving
Here's the encouraging news: taking even small, gentle steps to declutter, organise, and create a space where you feel comfortable can lead to real improvements in how you feel every day. You don't need to do it all at once, and you don't need to do it perfectly.
If your home has been leaving you feeling overwhelmed lately, it might be time to take stock, not just of your belongings, but of how your space supports or hinders your peace of mind.
Grab an easy to read, shareable infographic overview of the key research insights in this article, as well as some myth-busting facts and ways to get started decluttering.
Key Takeaways for Your Wellbeing:
Clutter increases stress hormones (cortisol) even when you don't consciously feel stressed
How cluttered your home feels matters more than the actual amount of stuff
Clutter affects sleep quality, eating habits, focus, and ability to read emotions
Procrastination and clutter create a difficult cycle that leaves people feeling stuck
Visual clutter drains cognitive resources and makes concentration harder
Chaotic environments increase stress for caregivers and strain relationships
Small steps to declutter and organise can lead to real improvements in daily wellbeing
Looking for more help, ideas or encouragement?
Free Download:
5 Things Creating Clutter – Resource to help you deal with common clutter causes
Related Blog Articles:
What’s Guiding Your Decluttering: Anxiety, Aspiration or Authenticity?
The psychology of stuff. Are you trying to use possessions to meet your deepest needs?
In-Depth Guides:
Creating Calm Spaces eBook – Comprehensive guide with organising systems and strategies ($14.95)
Home Systems Workbook – Simple activities to organise routines and reduce chaos ($9.95)
Newsletter:
A Calm Year - Tips and resources to help you declutter and organise
Connect:
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If you'd like support navigating the emotional and practical parts of decluttering and organising, learn more about how we can work together. Calm Space Professional Organising serves the Brisbane area.
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References
[1] Roster, C. A., Ferrari, J. R., & Jurkat, M. P. (2016). The dark side of home: Assessing possession ‘clutter’ on subjective well-being. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 46, 32–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2016.03.003
[2] Saxbe, D. E., & Repetti, R. L. (2009). No place like home: Home tours correlate with daily patterns of mood and cortisol. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36(1), 71–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167209352864
[3] Rogers, C. J., & Hart, R. (2021). Home and the extended-self: Exploring associations between clutter and wellbeing. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 73, 101553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101553
[4] Quinn, F. (2024). Relationships Between Home Clutter and Psychological Home With Stress, Mood and Well-being: An Exploratory Study, 2020–2021 [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service. https://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-857279
[5] Vartanian, L. R., Kernan, K. M., & Wansink, B. (2016). Clutter, chaos, and overconsumption: The role of mind-set in stressful and chaotic food environments. Environment and Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916516628178
[6] Thacher, P. V., Onyper, S. V., & Tuthill, J. (2017). De-cluttering the bedroom as a possible sleep hygiene step to improve sleep quality. Sleep, 40(suppl_1), A138–A139. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleepj/zsx050.372
[7] Ferrari, J. R., & Roster, C. A. (2018). Delaying disposing: Examining the relationship between procrastination and clutter across generations. Current Psychology, 37, 426–431. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9679-4
[8] Ferrari, J. R., Roster, C. A., Crum, K. P., et al. (2018). Procrastinators and clutter: An ecological view of living with excessive “stuff”. Current Psychology, 37, 441–444. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9682-9
[9] Gaspar, J. M., Christie, G. J., Prime, D. J., Jolicœur, P., & McDonald, J. J. (2016). Inability to suppress salient distractors predicts low visual working memory capacity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(13), https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1523471113
[10] McMains, S., & Kastner, S. (2011). Interactions of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms in human visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, 31(2), 587–597. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3766-10.2011
[11] Cutting, J. E., & Armstrong, K. L. (2016). Facial expression, size, and clutter: Inferences from movie structure to emotion judgments and back. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 78(3), 891–901. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-015-1003-5
[12] Bodrij, F. F., Andeweg, S. M., Prevoo, M. J. L., Rippe, R. C. A., & Alink, L. R. A. (2021). The causal effect of household chaos on stress and caregiving: An experimental study. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, 8, 100090. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpnec.2021.100090
