(单词翻译:单击)
We all know at least one person with an insanely clean desk. Their stationery is colour-coded and their paperwork filed with neat, military-like precision. Their plants are alive and flourishing and they never have to battle for leg space against an unruly mountain of shoes.
我们身边肯定至少有一个桌子极为干净的人。他们的文具有不同的颜色，他们的文件也都放在文件夹中整整齐齐，像部队里的那般精准。他们的植物生长旺盛、他们的桌底下也不会放满一堆鞋子，因此他们的腿想伸哪儿就伸哪儿。
It's easy to envy this woman - but pause your resentment because a study has found that employees with untidy and disorganised desks could, in fact, be unsung geniuses.
嫉妒这样的女人非常容易--但请先别怨恨，因为一项研究发现：事实上，办公桌一团糟的员工可能是个无名天才。
Researchers from the University of Minnesota discovered there are "really valuable outcomes from being in a messy setting". In the study published in Psychological Science, two sets of participants were asked to complete a series of tasks. They were either based in a clean and orderly office, or one that was unkempt and cluttered, with papers strewn everywhere.
明尼苏达大学的研究员们发现："人们在乱糟糟的环境中可能会得出真正有价值的成果"。在《心理科学》期刊上发表的研究中，研究员们要求两组受试者完成一系列的任务。其中一组的办公室干净有序，而另一组的办公室则凌乱不堪、到处都是纸。
In one experiment, they were asked to come up with new uses for ping pong balls. The volunteers situated in the messy environment came up with the same amount of ideas as their clean-based counterparts - but their ideas were rated as more innovative and interesting when assessed by a panel of independent judges.
在其中一项实验中，研究员们要求受试者想出乒乓球的新用处。处于乱糟糟环境下的志愿者和处于干净环境中的同伴想出的主意量相同--但独立评判小组却认为前者的想法更具创新性、也更有趣。
"Being in a messy room led to something that firms, industries, and societies want more of: creativity," explains psychological scientist Kathleen Vohs, who lead the study.
"处于乱糟糟的房间会产生公司、行业和社会想要的东西：创造性，"心理科学家、本研究的首席研究员Kathleen Vohs解释道。
In another experiment, participants were given a choice between new or established products. Those in the messy setting plumped for the novel product, while people surrounded by tidiness opted for the tried-and-tested product. This suggests a disorderly surrounding can stimulate a release from convention, triggering a more open-minded approach.
在另一项研究中，研究员给了受试者两个选择：新产品和旧产品。乱糟糟环境下的受试者选择了新颖产品，而整洁环境下的受试者则选择了已经过验证的产品。这表明无序的环境会刺激人们打破传统、激发更开放的想法。
"Disorderly environments seem to inspire breaking free of tradition, which can produce fresh insights," Kathleen says. "Orderly environments, in contrast, encourage convention and playing it safe."
"无序的环境似乎能激发人们打破传统、产生更新鲜的见解，"凯瑟琳说道。"相反，有序的环境会鼓励传统、保守行事。"
The problem is, most of us are so conditioned to think of neatness as a default good thing that it's difficult to see beyond that and appreciate the value of mess.
但问题来了，大多数的人都会把整洁默认为一件好事，因此很难看清并欣赏杂乱的价值。
So, the next time you recoil in horror at your crumb-encrusted keyboard - take comfort. It's merely a symbol of your mighty creative prowess. You can't help it if you're a genius, can you?
所以，下一次当你的面包屑掉到键盘上而使你惊慌的反弹时--请镇定。这只是你无穷无尽创造力的象征，毕竟你是天才，你能怎么办呢，对不？
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