What your desk says about you

Are you the kind of person whose desk is alwa­­ys spick and span? Or is it a bit of a mess? How you organise your working space can say a lot about you. In fact, environmental psychologist Lily Bernheimer developed five distinct "desk personality types" in a study commissioned by UK co-working firm Headspace Group. Which of them best reflects you?

First up: are you "the clutterer"? Clutter means mess – and Bernheimer says a clutterer's desk is likely to be colourful, chaotic and covered in trinkets. These people are usually more extroverted and welcoming, and love being at the "crossroads" of the office. The hitch is that they're often too busy to tidy up after themselves!

Or perhaps you're "the minimalist"? A polar opposite to the clutterer, the minimalist has nothing unneccessary on his or her desk. These workers are often highly conscientious and disciplined, if a little cautious. But Bernheimer says this does not necessarily mean they're introverts – they just love structure.

Type three is "the expander". Personal space is very important to them, and it creeps ever outwards, even if this is not a consciously aggressive act. Bernheimer says: "They may try to claim more and more territory for themselves by moving their coffee cup and their sandwich out further and further."

"The personaliser" is our fourth type, and it's quite self-explanatory. These people customise their space with photos, mementos and personal objects. "A simple, stylish or unusual workspace tells people that you're high in the trait called 'openness', which means you're likely to be high in creativity, intellectuality and openness to new experience," says Bernheimer.

And finally, there's "the surveyor". These people feel insecure in the middle of the office, and seek out the quieter corners. From an evolutionary perspective, looking for well-protected spots from which to keep an eye out for potential threats makes sense. Surveyors are often introverted, but also highly productive and creative, if given the space and support they need.

Whichever type you are, making personal statements through presentation is deep in our nature, says Sam Gosling, professor of psychology at the University of Texas: "One of the reasons physical spaces, including one's office desks, can be so revealing is that they're essentially the crystallisation of a lot of behaviour over time."

词汇表
spick and span [ˌspɪk ən ˈspæn] 整洁如新的，一尘不染的
mess [mes] 杂乱，凌乱，混乱
commission [kə'mɪʃ(ə)n] 委托，委任，安排做
the clutterer [ˈklʌtərə(r)] 杂乱者（指办公桌面杂乱无章的人）
clutter [ˈklʌtə(r)] 杂乱的东西，凌乱的环境
chaotic [keɪˈɒtɪk] 混乱的，无秩序的
trinket [ˈtrɪŋkɪt] 小装饰品，小玩意儿
extroverted [ˈekstrəvɜːtɪd] 性格外向的，外向型的
welcoming [ˈwelkəmɪŋ] 热情友好的，好客的
crossroad [ˈkrɒsrəʊd] 十字路口，交叉路（文中指办公室里人员往来频繁的区域）
hitch [hɪtʃ] 小问题，故障，障碍
tidy up after oneself [ˈtaɪdi] 自己收拾干净，自己整理好
the minimalist [ˈmɪnɪməlɪst] 极简者（指办公桌面奉行极简风格的人）
polar opposite [ˈpəʊlə ˈɒpəzɪt] 截然相反的情况，对立面
conscientious [ˌkɒnʃiˈenʃəs] 认真负责的，尽责的，一丝不苟的
disciplined [ˈdɪsəplɪnd] 守规矩的，遵守纪律的
introvert [ˈɪntrəvɜːt] 性格内向者；内向的
the expander [ɪkˈspændə(r)] 扩张者（指倾向于扩大办公桌空间的人）
creep outwards [kriːp  ˈaʊtwədz] 向外蔓延，向外扩展
aggressive [əˈɡresɪv] 有攻击性的，侵略性的
claim territory [kleɪm ˈterətri] 占据领地，抢占空间
the personaliser [ˈpɜːsənəlaɪzə(r)] 个性化者（将办公空间进行个性化装饰的人）
self-explanatory [ˌself ɪkˈsplænətri] 不言自明的，一目了然的
customise [ˈkʌstəmaɪz] 定制，改造，使个性化
memento [məˈmentəʊ] 纪念品，纪念物
stylish [ˈstaɪlɪʃ] 时髦的，时尚的；有格调的
trait [treɪt] （个人的）特征，特质
openness [ˈəʊpənnəs] 开放性；坦诚，坦率
intellectuality [ˌɪntəlektʃuˈæləti] 求知欲，智力；知性
the surveyor [ðə səˈveɪə(r)] 观察者（在办公环境中选择安静角落的人）
evolutionary [ˌiːvəˈluːʃənri] 进化的；演变的，逐步发展的
well-protected spot 安全的地方，受保护的地点
keep an eye out for 留意，警惕，密切注意
revealing [rɪˈviːlɪŋ] 揭示的，有启示性的，暴露真相的
crystallisation [ˌkrɪstəlaɪˈzeɪʃn] 结晶，缩影，成形

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