In springtime, many Americans take on amajor project: cleaning their homes from top to bottom.

春天,，許多美國人都肩負著一項重大任務(wù):徹底打掃自己的家,。

We often call this kind of work "spring cleaning".

我們通常稱其為“春季大掃除”。

Part of spring cleaning often involves clearing out clutter.

春季大掃除的部分內(nèi)容通常包括清理雜物,。

We do away with things we no longer need -like old magazines, toys from our childhood,collections of things we no longer collect ...

我們?nèi)拥舨辉傩枰臇|西,，比如舊雜志、兒時的玩具,、不再收藏的東西.....

If we are to believe the many stories on Marie Kondo, the Queen of Clean, clutter adds unnecessary stress to our lives.

如果我們相信許多關(guān)于“收納女王”近藤麻理惠的故事,那么雜亂給我們的生活增加了不必要的壓力,。

Clutter is holding us back from our dreams and goals.

雜亂阻礙我們實現(xiàn)夢想和目標。

But is it?

但真的是這樣嗎?

To answer this question, I spoke with an expert on the subject--Sabine Kastner ofPrinceton University.

為了回答這個問題,，我采訪了一位這方面的專家一普林斯頓大學的薩比娜.卡斯特納,。

She has been studying how the brain processes clutter for 20 years.

20年來，她一直在研究大腦如何處理雜亂,。

From the start of our interview, Professor Kastner wants to make two things clear: Not all clutter is bad. And our brains can deal withit.

從采訪伊始,，卡斯特納教授就想澄清兩點: 一是并非所有的雜亂都是壞事，二是我們的大腦可以處理雜亂。

The media, Kastner says, often writes about clutter in a very simple, black-and-white way:Clutter affects the mind and we need to clear it out.

卡斯特納稱,，媒體經(jīng)常以一種非常簡單的黑白方式來描述雜亂:雜亂影響我們的思想,，我們需要清除雜亂。

But Kastner says it is much more complex than that.

但卡斯特納表示,，實際情況要復雜得多,。

For starters, she says, our brains are designed to deal with clutter.

她說，首先,，我們的大腦原本就可以應(yīng)付雜亂,。

"Clutter is all around us -- all the time -- assoon as we open our eyes.

“只要一-睜開眼睛,，雜亂就會一直圍繞著我們,。

And the fact that we do not perceive it as that..just speaks to this enormous capability that we have to deal with it."

事實.上，我們并未察覺到....這說明我們有強大的應(yīng)對能力,?！?/p>

Kastner uses a Christmas tree as an example.

卡斯特納以圣誕樹為例。

When we see a Christmas tree, we know what it is -- a sign of the winter holiday season.

當我們看到一棵圣誕樹時,，我們知道它代表了什么--冬季節(jié)日的標志,。

We do not need to see each separate item hanging on the tree to understand this.

我們不需要看到掛在樹，上的每個單獨的物品來理解這一點,。

Kastner says very early in the development of our eyesight, we begin to group objects that we see.

卡斯特納說,，在視力發(fā)展的早期，我們就開始把自己看到的東西進行分組,。

This helpsus to structure our environment.

這有助于構(gòu)建我們的環(huán)境,。

She explains that it helps us sort out anything that is not necessary.

她解釋稱，這可以幫助我們挑選出不需要的東西,。

"The attention system in our brains actually likes clutter because that is what it is used to.

“我們大腦中的注意力系統(tǒng)實際,，上喜歡雜亂，因為這是習慣使然,。

And it is using this cluttered environment to make meaningful selections from it."

它利用這種雜亂的環(huán)境做出有意義的選擇,。”

When we talk about clutter and how best our brains perform around it, Kastner says thereis not a one-size-fits-all solution.

當我們談?wù)撾s亂以及我們的大腦如何在雜亂中發(fā)揮最佳作用時,，卡斯特納說,，并沒有一個可以一刀切的解決方案。

The idea that an uncluttered workplace is better, she says, is not "universally true."

她說,，認為整潔的工作場所更好并非“普遍正確”,。

Kastner says some people need to see their work.

卡斯特納說，有些人需要看看自己的工作,。

If something is carefully put away, to them it does not exist anymore.

如果某樣東西被小心地收起來了,，對他們來說，它就不復存在了。

Out of sight, out of mind. For other people,objects can stimulate their creativity and give them ideas.

眼不見,，心不煩,。對另一些人來說，物體可以激發(fā)他們的創(chuàng)造力,，給他們靈感,。

"Then there are other people who actually like that clutter.

“還有一些人實際上喜歡這種雜亂。

And they, you know, clutter their environment because it actually helps them.It almost like stimulating their brain to do something.

你知道的,，他們把環(huán)境弄得亂七八糟,，因為這實際上對他們有幫助。這就像刺激他們的大腦去做一些 事情一樣,?！?/p>

However, other people are unable to work in a cluttered environment.

然而，有些人無法在雜亂的環(huán)境中工作,。

Kastner notes that some people may get distracted by having lots of things aroundthem.

卡斯特納指出,，有些人可能會因為身邊有很多東西而分心。

These people may need more organization and less clutter to work well.

這些人要想做好工作,，可能需要多一點整齊,、少一點雜亂。

Some people do not care either way. Whether the area is cluttered or clear -- they work the same.

有些人對此并不關(guān)心,。不管這個區(qū)域是雜亂的,，還是干凈的，他們一樣工作,。

And for others it may depend on the project.

對其他人來說,，這可能取決于項目。

For administrative work, they might need a clear workspace.

對于管理工作,，他們可能需要一個清晰的工作區(qū),。

But for more creative projects, they may need many things around them.

但對于更有創(chuàng)意的項目，他們可能需要很多東西,。

Like Kastner said earlier, it is complex.

正如卡斯特納之前所言,，這很復雜。

However, on one thing, she is very clear: One way is not better than another.

然而,，有一點她非常清楚:一種方法并不比另一種更好,。

People need to be able to design their workspaces, she says, in a way that works best for them.

她說，人們需要能夠以最適合自己的方式來設(shè)計自己的工作空間,。

"But again I think it's important to take this all into consideration when you create workspaces because you need to give people, I think, the individual choices -- whatever serves them best."

“但我再次重申,，在創(chuàng)建工作區(qū)時，必須考慮到這一點,，因為我認為,，你需要給人們提供個性化的選擇一最適合他們的選擇。”

To know how your brain reacts to clutter,Kastner says you need to take an honest look at your home and work environments.

卡斯特納表示,，要想知道大腦應(yīng)對雜亂的反應(yīng),，需要誠實地看待家庭和工作環(huán)境。

What is working and what is not? If your home or office is cluttered and you cannot find anything, you may need more organizing.

什么有效,，什么無效?如果你的家或辦公室很亂,，你找不到任何東西，你可能需要更多的條理,。

However, if your house or office is cluttered but you can find everything you need - then perhaps your brain works fine around clutter.

然而,，如果你的房子或辦公室很亂，但你能找到你需要的一切,，那么也許你的大腦在雜亂中工作得很好,。

Kastner gives this warning: Do not continue doing something that is not working for you.

卡斯特納警告稱:不要繼續(xù)做那些不適合自己的事情。

She has another warning: We should not blame clutter for all of our stress and lack of productivity.

她還有另一個警告:我們不應(yīng)該把所有的壓力和工作效率低下都歸咎于雜亂,。

There could be many issues involved in both.

兩者都可能涉及許多問題,。

Now, if you are wondering which way Kastner prefers.. .she likes clutter!

現(xiàn)在,，如果你想知道卡斯特納喜歡哪種方式.... .她喜歡雜亂!

Both at home and at work. In fact, she says she feels sad if her workspace is too clean.

無論是在家,，還是在工作中。事實上,，她說如果她的工作空間太干凈,，她會感到難過。

"But I know a lot of people who really need clear workspaces.

“但我知道很多人確實需要整潔的工作空間,。

Those would be spaces that would depress me. I would never excel in spaces like that.

那樣的空間會讓我感到壓抑,。我永遠不可能在那樣的空間里出類拔萃。

But I know that there are people who really excel in these spaces.

但我知道有些人確實在這樣的空間里很出色,。

So, they are just different from me. I think that's great and that's wonderful."

所以,，他們只是和我不一樣。我認為這很好很棒,?！?/p>

Kastner says our brains are all so different and that is what makes us who we are.

卡斯特納表示，我們的大腦如此不同,，這就是我們成為今天的自己的原因,。