Transcripts

Sam Gosling:
So for example, extroverts are a very interesting group of people because they are just like other people, they do whatever they can. For example, in their offices they make them more inviting to try and lure people into them and to just hang out. Whereas the people who are low in extroversion, their places are not welcoming - you go in and they have uncomfortable chairs, the doors aren't open very wide.

Sam Gosling, author of the book Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You, says many assumptions about people and their stuff are dead wrong. For example there's a general assumption that messy people are not as nice as neat people.

We found that in our studies that people form that impression and it's an automatic assumption, it's not something that people are doing deliberately.

So while that's not the case about messy people, what is true is…

They tend to be people who don't think ahead so much, they tend to be a bit more impulsive than others, they often find it harder to be time-oriented and task-focused.

And another way to tell about people is…

The photos people have in their offices - do they have photos that face them? That's what we call sort of a social snack, it's there in order to provide sustenance (emotional sustenance) while that photo of a loved one or a loved pet or a special place helps you think of those while you cannot be physically in touch with them. Whereas if the photo is turned away and it's facing others, then it's doing something very different - it's making a statement to others about how the occupant would like to be regarded.

At somethingyoushouldknow.net I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.