From symmetrical pillow placements to perfectly-placed scatter cushions, a psychologist has divulged what your pillow arrangement reveals about your personality.
To mark National Bed Month this March, Memory Foam Pillows uncovered the five most popular ways for people to style their pillows in the morning – including organising them by size to propping them up against the headboard.
The British firm then consulted environmental psychologist Lee Chambers, from Lancashire, to explain what the different approaches reveal about our personality traits.
For instance, the expert says a ‘no fuss approach’ shows a ‘strong sense of self’, whereas arranging pillows from small to large illustrates a competitive streak.
Here, Daily Mail reveals what the five popular pillow arrangements say about our personalities, according to the psychologist.
1. Perfectly-placed cushions: Strong morals and practical
A popular choice is the Classic arrangement, which boasts a stack of well-organised decorative cushions that are never actually used to sleep on, but are ideal for giving the bedroom a little extra wow-factor.
Lee said: ‘This pillow arrangement confers a strong sense of tradition and someone is very moral, balancing a level of practicality with the ability to show a small part of their personality through their accent cushions.
‘They are unlikely to be the first to try something new but are likely to be reliable and dependable even in a crisis.’
2. Arranged by size: Competitive streak
Another top arrangement is The Descend, where people organise their pillows from large to small, which is common for creating a symmetrical look on double beds or bigger sizes.
Lee said: ‘The sense order in descending pillows is very reassuring to those who might like conformity and balance and can almost give the image of falling into bed when night comes along.
‘They will enjoy having clear boundaries and structure in life and aiming for the top step of the pillows with a competitive streak.’
3. Propped up: Very analytical thinker
Propping up pillows straight and against the headboard in the morning before placing them flat again at night was another popular approach.
Lee said: ‘This is a true lover of uniformity and ritual. This arrangement is great for those who love to transition their bed from day to night, and this eye for detail makes them skilled at analysis, but more likely to think in black and white.’
4. Mixing up the direction: Creative and enjoy chaos
If you arrange your pillows half-up, half-down, or even like to place your partner’s pillow one way and yours the other, then Lee suggest you enjoy chaos and are more creative.
Lee said: ‘There is always one to break the status quo, and the mixer loves that variety in life.
‘They are more likely to enjoy a bit of chaos and entertainment and be generous in nature. They are likely to find joy in creative pursuits and are probably one of the least punctual of the group.’
5. No arrangement: Strong sense of self
While some might take the time to arrange their pillows after getting out of bed, there are many who will simply leave the cushions as they are.
Lee said: ‘This is a sign of practicality and efficiency; the mindset is one “I only need what I will use to sleep”. The person is likely to be individualistic and has a strong sense of self, not being swayed by trends or fashion.
‘They will likely be minimalistic elsewhere and have a particular area they like to indulge in, likely experience-based.’
