Skip Making Your Bed in the Morning? Psychologists Reveal What It Says About Your Personality
Every morning, when we wake up and decide whether to make the bed or leave it as it is, we open a small window into how we think. That choice might seem trivial, but research suggests it can tell you a bit about how you plan, organise and manage your day.
Our morning rituals act as a kind of “shortcut map” for the brain, helping us switch from sleep to our daily routine. Automatic habits include making coffee, opening a window, checking the phone and, yes, making the bed. Interestingly, the state of your bed just ten minutes after waking can be an “expressive mirror” of your personal rhythm. People who make their beds often report a small sense of achievement — a quick win that gives them a feeling of control over the day.
You can look at making the bed through psychological frameworks like the Big Five personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism). Regular bed-makers tend to score higher on conscientiousness, a trait linked to tidiness, planning and finishing tasks. Those with lower openness to new experiences also often make their beds, showing a preference for familiar routines. On the other hand, people who leave the duvet “as it fell” may be more comfortable with improvisation and prioritise big-picture tasks over small details.
Empirical studies back up these links, suggesting regular bed-makers often show higher levels of anxiety and lower extraversion. That group typically pays more attention to personal boundaries and is less keen on social situations. However, these are gentle associations rather than hard-and-fast judgements about someone’s character.
For many, a made bed signals a need for structure and clarity, while an unmade bed points to a tolerance for a bit of chaos and an emphasis on creativity over tidiness. This isn’t a moral statement but rather a reflection of how much control someone prefers in their daily rhythm. There’s also a practical hygiene point: leaving the bed unmade for 20–30 minutes lets moisture evaporate, making the mattress less welcoming to dust mites.
Whether you’re a morning “lark” or a night “owl”, both approaches have their merits — a leisurely morning routine or a last-minute rush can work depending on your rhythm. Workplace studies support this idea too: mild disorder can boost creativity, while order helps concentration — and the same principles apply to bedrooms.
The writer takes a balanced view: on busy, demanding days, a made bed can act as a mental cue that everything’s in order (“Alright, it’s organised, we go according to plan”), while on creative days leaving it unmade can encourage a more playful mood. Simple hygiene habits — changing sheets regularly, vacuuming the mattress, keeping humidity at a good level and letting daylight in — keep a bedroom pleasant without obsessing over bed-making.
In the end, a morning routine should be a practical tool, not a moral test. Be flexible: some days call for the discipline of a neatly made bed, others suit creative disorder. The aim is to pick rituals that help you enjoy the day and stay mindful, because the best approach varies from person to person.