第1468期: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. 

你是那种办公桌总是很整洁的人吗？还是有点乱？你如何组织你的工作空间可以说很多关于你的事情。

In fact, environmental psychologist Lily Bernheimer developed five distinct "desk personality types" in a study commissioned by UK co-working firm Headspace Group. 

事实上，环境心理学家莉莉·伯恩海默（Lily Bernheimer）在英国合作公司 Headspace Group 委托进行的一项研究中开发了五种不同的“办公桌人格类型”。

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. 

其中哪一个最能反映你？首先：你是“混乱者”吗？杂乱意味着混乱——伯恩海默说，杂乱无章的办公桌可能色彩缤纷、杂乱无章，而且到处都是小饰品。

These people are usually more extroverted and welcoming, and love being at the "crossroads" of the office. 

这些人通常比较外向和热情，喜欢站在办公室的“十字路口”。

The hitch is that they're often too busy to tidy up after themselves!

问题是他们经常太忙而无暇收拾自己！

Or perhaps you're "the minimalist"? A polar opposite to the clutterer, the minimalist has nothing unneccessary on his or her desk. 

或者你是“极简主义者”？与杂乱无章的人相反，极简主义者在他或她的办公桌上没有任何不必要的东西。

These workers are often highly conscientious and disciplined, if a little cautious. 

这些工人通常非常认真和自律，如果有点谨慎的话。

But Bernheimer says this does not necessarily mean they're introverts – they just love structure.

但伯恩海默说，这并不一定意味着他们是内向的人——他们只是喜欢结构。

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.

 第三类是“扩展器”。个人空间对他们来说非常重要，而且它总是向外蔓延，即使这不是一种有意识的攻击行为。

Berheimer says: "They may try to claim more and more territory for themselves by moving their coffee cup and their sandwich out further and further."

Berheimer 说：“他们可能会通过将咖啡杯和三明治移得越来越远来为自己争取越来越多的领土。”

"The personaliser" is our fourth type, and it’s quite self-explanatory.

 “个性化”是我们的第四种类型，不言自明。

These people customise their space with photos, mementos and personal objects.

这些人用照片、纪念品和个人物品定制他们的空间。 

"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

.“一个简单、时尚或不寻常的工作空间会告诉人们，你的‘开放性’特质很高，这意味着你很可能在创造力、智慧和对新体验的开放性方面很高，”伯恩海默说。

And finally, there's "the surveyor". These people feel insecure in the middle of the office, and seek out the quieter corners. 

最后，还有“测量员”。这些人在办公室中间感到不安全，并寻找更安静的角落。

From an evolutionary perspective, looking for well-protected spots from which to keep an eye out for potential threats makes sense.

从进化的角度来看，寻找保护良好的地点以密切关注潜在威胁是有意义的。

 Surveyors are often introverted, but also highly productive and creative, if given the space and support they need.

测量员通常性格内向，但如果有他们需要的空间和支持，他们也很有生产力和创造力。

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."

德克萨斯大学心理学教授山姆·高斯林 (Sam Gosling) 说，无论你是哪种类型，通过演讲发表个人陈述是我们的天性：“包括办公桌在内的物理空间如此具有启发性的原因之一是它们”本质上是许多行为随时间的结晶。”

词汇表

spick and span 非常整洁清爽的
clutter 杂乱不堪的物品、凌乱的环境
extroverted 性格外向的
welcoming 热情好客的
hitch 小问题
minimalist 简约主义者
polar opposite 完全相反的一面，对立面
conscientious 一丝不苟的，非常认真的
disciplined 守规矩的，有纪律性的
introvert 性格内向的
creep 悄然移动
aggressive 咄咄逼人的，气势汹汹的
territory 地盘
trait 个人品质，特征
openness 坦率
insecure 不自信的、没有安全感的
keep an eye out (for) 留意，留心
productive 有成效的
revealing 暴露真相的
crystallisation 缩影