cluttering instincts?
As winter approaches, I like to insert my "hibernation theory" into small talk conversations about the weather which we Minnesotans are wont to engage in at this time of year (or anytime of year, for that matter, since our weather is nearly always doing something we don't like). The theory is that those of us homo sapiens who have chosen to adapt to colder climes have failed to live in accordance with the biological implications of this choice: namely, hibernation. Whenever the weather turns cold, I start to feel the need to stop moving so much and eat more. I've found that many others share this sense with me. As it turns out, according to the following excerpt from an article on American clutter, my hibernation theory fits well with broader speculation regarding biological adaptation and our habits:
"To many observers, clutter reflects the mind-set of the modern household - overburdened, disorganized and compulsive. To others, clutter is a broader symbol of a ravenous culture dependent on easy credit, piling up debt and consuming a lion's share of the world's resources without considering the consequences.
''People's homes are a reflection of their lives,'' says Los Angeles psychologist and organizational consultant Peter Walsh. ''It is no accident that people have a huge weight problem in this country, and clutter is the same thing. Homes are an orgy of consumption.''
The obesity analogy isn't a joke. While personal spending drives much of the U.S. economy, the resulting clutter from all that shopping is so pervasive that some researchers wonder if it might have a deeper, biological component, similar to overeating.
Their speculation borrows from evolutionary theory.
Modern humans developed some 100,000 years ago as hunters and gatherers living in fundamentally harsher circumstances. Today, we are surrounded by abundance, but our bodies have remained genetically programmed to eat everything in sight and store calories to survive winter, drought and famine. To some nutrition experts, it's a primary reason two-thirds of Americans are overweight.
Similarly, our forebears saved anything that could be materially useful because they had to make everything from scratch.
Clutter emerged alongside industrial specialization and mass production in the 19th century, and it was then that the biological need to save everything morphed into a desire to acquire.
Suddenly, the rising middle class was buying items once reserved for royalty. Tea sets. Mantelpiece figurines. Forks used only to eat fish.
And the opportunities to acquire have only skyrocketed. The old corner store stocked fewer than 1,000 items. Today, a Wal-Mart SuperCenter covers a quarter-million square feet - that's nearly six acres - and carries 130,000 products.
Yet scientists have difficulty quantifying clutter. It is a private problem that most people sweep under the bed and shove behind closed doors. "
Phew. I had been thinking that the clutter around my house and my "extra" pounds had more to do with materialism and gluttony than biology. It's nice to know that I just haven't yet come to terms with my evolutionary status!