Extroverts will often have a well-lit office with a comfortable chair and some candies for the taking while introverts might have a darker office, fewer, less comfortable chairs and no snacks, said Sam Gosling, associate professor of psychology at the University of Texas and author of the forthcoming book "Snoop: The Secret Language of Stuff." Studies show that the impressions we get from looking at someone's office are often correct, Professor Gosling said. He studied strangers' impressions of faculty members' offices as they related to personality traits including extroversion, conscientiousness and openness, and found that these qualities could be discerned. Conscientiousness was easiest to detect. "Things like an organized book collection, the calendar on the wall being filled out, pencils sharpened, gave an accurate impression of that trait," said Mr. Gosling.

The New York Times
Walking the Tightrope of Workspace Decor
(Sept.16)