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

春天，许多美国人都肩负着一项重大任务:彻底打扫自己的家。

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

我们通常称其为“春季大扫除”。

Part of spring cleaning often involves clearing out clutter.

春季大扫除的部分内容通常包括清理杂物。

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

我们扔掉不再需要的东西，比如旧杂志、儿时的玩具、不再收藏的东西.....

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

如果我们相信许多关于“收纳女王”近藤麻理惠的故事,那么杂乱给我们的生活增加了不必要的压力。

Clutter is holding us back from our dreams and goals.

杂乱阻碍我们实现梦想和目标。

But is it?

但真的是这样吗?

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

为了回答这个问题，我采访了一位这方面的专家一普林斯顿大学的萨比娜.卡斯特纳。

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

20年来，她一直在研究大脑如何处理杂乱。

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.

从采访伊始，卡斯特纳教授就想澄清两点: 一是并非所有的杂乱都是坏事，二是我们的大脑可以处理杂乱。

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.

卡斯特纳称，媒体经常以一种非常简单的黑白方式来描述杂乱:杂乱影响我们的思想，我们需要清除杂乱。

But Kastner says it is much more complex than that.

但卡斯特纳表示，实际情况要复杂得多。

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

她说，首先，我们的大脑原本就可以应付杂乱。

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

“只要一-睁开眼睛，杂乱就会一直围绕着我们。

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

事实.上，我们并未察觉到....这说明我们有强大的应对能力。”

Kastner uses a Christmas tree as an example.

卡斯特纳以圣诞树为例。

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

当我们看到一棵圣诞树时，我们知道它代表了什么--冬季节日的标志。

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

我们不需要看到挂在树，上的每个单独的物品来理解这一点。

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

卡斯特纳说，在视力发展的早期，我们就开始把自己看到的东西进行分组。

This helpsus to structure our environment.

这有助于构建我们的环境。

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

她解释称，这可以帮助我们挑选出不需要的东西。

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

“我们大脑中的注意力系统实际，上喜欢杂乱，因为这是习惯使然。

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

它利用这种杂乱的环境做出有意义的选择。”

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

当我们谈论杂乱以及我们的大脑如何在杂乱中发挥最佳作用时，卡斯特纳说，并没有一个可以一刀切的解决方案。

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

她说，认为整洁的工作场所更好并非“普遍正确”。

Kastner says some people need to see their work.

卡斯特纳说，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.

如果某样东西被小心地收起来了，对他们来说，它就不复存在了。

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

眼不见，心不烦。对另一些人来说，物体可以激发他们的创造力，给他们灵感。

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

“还有一些人实际上喜欢这种杂乱。

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，他们把环境弄得乱七八糟，因为这实际上对他们有帮助。这就像刺激他们的大脑去做一些 事情一样。”

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

然而，有些人无法在杂乱的环境中工作。

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

卡斯特纳指出，有些人可能会因为身边有很多东西而分心。

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

这些人要想做好工作，可能需要多一点整齐、少一点杂乱。

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

有些人对此并不关心。不管这个区域是杂乱的，还是干净的，他们一样工作。

And for others it may depend on the project.

对其他人来说，这可能取决于项目。

For administrative work, they might need a clear workspace.

对于管理工作，他们可能需要一个清晰的工作区。

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

但对于更有创意的项目，他们可能需要很多东西。

Like Kastner said earlier, it is complex.

正如卡斯特纳之前所言，这很复杂。

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

然而，有一点她非常清楚:一种方法并不比另一种更好。

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

她说，人们需要能够以最适合自己的方式来设计自己的工作空间。

"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，在创建工作区时，必须考虑到这一点，因为我认为，你需要给人们提供个性化的选择一最适合他们的选择。”

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

卡斯特纳表示，要想知道大脑应对杂乱的反应，需要诚实地看待家庭和工作环境。

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，什么无效?如果你的家或办公室很乱，你找不到任何东西，你可能需要更多的条理。

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，如果你的房子或办公室很乱，但你能找到你需要的一切，那么也许你的大脑在杂乱中工作得很好。

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

卡斯特纳警告称:不要继续做那些不适合自己的事情。

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

她还有另一个警告:我们不应该把所有的压力和工作效率低下都归咎于杂乱。

There could be many issues involved in both.

两者都可能涉及许多问题。

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

现在，如果你想知道卡斯特纳喜欢哪种方式.... .她喜欢杂乱!

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

无论是在家，还是在工作中。事实上，她说如果她的工作空间太干净，她会感到难过。

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

“但我知道很多人确实需要整洁的工作空间。

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

那样的空间会让我感到压抑。我永远不可能在那样的空间里出类拔萃。

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

但我知道有些人确实在这样的空间里很出色。

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

所以，他们只是和我不一样。我认为这很好很棒。”

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

卡斯特纳表示，我们的大脑如此不同，这就是我们成为今天的自己的原因。