Why Clutter Can Make Us Feel Overwhelmed: The Psychology Behind Decluttering

Have you ever walked into a messy room and instantly felt your shoulders tighten? You’re not imagining it — clutter has measurable effects on our minds, our mood, and even our hormones.

Many of us think of clutter as a purely physical issue: too many clothes, overflowing drawers, the kitchen bench that magically collects everything. But clutter is also mental. Every object in our visual field competes for attention, creating background noise for the brain. The more visual “stuff” we take in, the more cognitive energy we burn just trying to stay focused.

Researchers call this cognitive load — the mental effort required to process information. When our environment is busy, our brain has to constantly filter out distractions. That leaves less capacity for what truly matters: decision-making, problem-solving, creativity, or simply relaxing.

In fact, lab studies show that visual clutter slows down our ability to focus, because our working memory becomes overloaded. It’s like trying to listen to one friend in a loud café. You can do it — but you’ll be exhausted sooner.

Women, Clutter & Stress: There’s a Science Behind the Mental Load

While clutter affects everyone, women tend to experience higher stress from household clutter. A landmark UCLA study found that women who described their homes as cluttered or “unfinished” showed elevated and prolonged cortisol levels — a biological marker of chronic stress. The same pattern wasn’t seen in men.

Why the difference?

Part of the answer lies in the mental load. Women are still more likely to be responsible for household organisation — not just doing tasks, but thinking about them, tracking them, planning ahead. When the space feels chaotic, it signals that there’s more work to do, more decisions waiting, more energy required. Even when sitting still, the mind can’t fully rest.

Clutter & Coping: When Stuff Drains Our Wellbeing

Clutter doesn’t just raise stress in the moment — it can chip away at wellbeing over time. In a large North American study, adults who reported more household clutter also reported lower life satisfaction and a weaker sense of “home” as a safe place to restore and recover.

When we’re already dealing with work demands, parenting, health challenges, or emotional load, clutter becomes one more weight on the pile. It turns a potential sanctuary into a reminder of unfinished business.

The Good News: Small Declutters = Big Wins

You don’t need a magazine-perfect minimalist home to feel the benefits.

Even low-effort changes create relief:.

Clear one surface you see often✔

Declutter the entryway so you don’t come home to stress✔

Tidy the bedside space to support better sleep✔

Donate the things that make you feel guilty every time you look at them✔

When your environment feels calmer, your mind follows.

You Deserve a Home That Supports You

Clutter is not a personal failure — it’s a signal. A sign your brain and body are asking for less noise, fewer decisions, and more space to breathe.

Minimalism doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to feel lighter.

If you’d like help creating a calmer home — the lazy, realistic way — I’m here for that. 💛Visit: www.thelazyminimalist.net

References:

Saxbe, D. E., & Repetti, R. L. (2010). 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

Vohs, K. D., Redden, J. P., & Rahinel, R. (2013). Physical order produces healthy choices, generosity, and conventionality, whereas disorder produces creativity. Psychological Science, 24(9), 1860–1867. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613480186

Rosenholtz, R., Li, Y., & Nakano, L. (2007). Measuring visual clutter. Journal of Vision, 7(2):17, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1167/7.2.17

Verghese, P., & McKee, S. P. (2004). Visual search in clutter. Vision Research, 44(12), 1217–1225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2003.12.006

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

Yale News summary of the Neuron study: “‘Visual clutter’ alters information flow in the brain” (Oct 22, 2024). https://news.yale.edu/2024/10/22/visual-clutter-alters-information-flow-brain