Welcome back to savvy psychologist. I'm Dr. Ellen Hendrickson and every week I'll help you meet life's challenges with evidence-based research, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

Earlier this week, listener Brian wrote in with a dilemma, So like many office workers, he works in an open cube environment.

And he is friendly and easygoing, but finds he's a magnet for coworkers taking a break from their own work.

People pull up a chair next to his cube and chat, sometimes for up to half an hour.

And when they're not hanging out in his cube, they are often hanging out nearby, having a loud conversation or talking on the phone.

And Brian's work involves a lot of math and computer programming.

So in other words, his work is, you know, work. And Brian says he's even tried

pulling his file cabinet's drawer open as an Ursat's privacy wall, which unfortunately his boss was quick to label as anti-social

and a sign of not being a team player. So, Ryan asks, how can he be more assertive, defend his space, and tell people he needs peace and quiet

without letting resentment build or coming across as a jerk.

Therefore, this week week let's dive into what to do when

Donnie from marketing stops by to show you his latest cat video.

Okay, so one problem here is the environment itself and on this issue, science is on

Brian's side. In a study out of the University of Sydney, two architecture professors investigated the trade-offs between open plan and

traditional offices.

And the advantages of open plan offices are theoretically better teamwork,

creativity, and, quote, ease of interaction.

But the study found that forced interaction

did not offset the disadvantages of an open plan office which matched Brian's experience exactly.

Noise and lack of privacy.

Okay, so that's part of it, but the real problem is that Brian is trapped by the Chaddy Cathies and

Garries of the world.

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