Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by all of your stuff? If so, you're not alone.

In recent years, a thriving, decluttering industry has sprung up to help us all deal with our ever-accumulating piles of things.

The stacks of books that don't fit on our shelves, our kids outgrown toys, our clothes that don't fit anymore, our overstuffed closets, and our garages

that are so full of clutter that they no longer fit our cars.

How does all of this clutter affect us?

In recent years, psychologists' research has begun to find that living and working in cluttered

spaces causes stress and anxiety and can harm both our mental health and our

productivity. So why do we accumulate so much stuff and why do we find it so hard to deal with it? Does

everyone find clutter equally stressful or are some people happy living in spaces that might seem

chaotic to others? What is clutter anyway and how is living in clutter different from hoarding? Do men and

women deal with clutter differently? How does clutter affect relationships? And if you want to

clear the clutter in your home, what's the best way to get started and to stick with it?

Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association

that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life.

I'm Kim Mills.

My guest today is Dr. Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology and distinguished professor

at DePaul University in Chicago.

Dr. Ferrari studies the psychology of clutter,

including why we accumulate it, how it affects our mental health, and the link between clutter

and procrastination. He's also well known for his research on the causes and consequences of

procrastination, and is the author of several books on that subject for researchers, clinicians, and the general public.

He has published more than 400 scholarly articles and is a fellow in six professional organizations,

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