Social Psychology Explains Pre-Guest Cleaning Rituals as Impression Management

The common human behavior of engaging in intensive cleaning immediately before a guest arrives is fundamentally rooted in established principles of social psychology, with impression management serving as a primary catalyst. This preparatory activity is often a manifestation of the Hawthorne Effect, a phenomenon wherein individuals consciously adjust their behavior when aware of being observed, leading to observable changes such as elevated standards of tidiness.

From a psychological perspective, the physical condition of a living space functions as a non-verbal indicator of inherent personality traits, such as conscientiousness, to visitors. This awareness activates a necessity for optimizing one's strategy for self-presentation. The pre-visit cleaning thus serves the dual function of strategic impression management and internal environmental regulation, ensuring the external setting aligns with a desired internal state of order.

This reliance on external social cues to initiate cleaning contrasts with behaviors driven by autonomous motivation, which, according to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), is associated with superior psychological well-being. Conversely, controlled motivation, which underpins the guest-induced tidying surge, involves acting due to external pressures or the perception of gaining approval. Contemporary lifestyle trends suggest that genuine self-care involves cultivating living spaces that offer intrinsic comfort and satisfaction, aligning with SDT's core need for autonomy and environmental control.

The personality trait of conscientiousness, one of the Big Five traits, is strongly linked to organization and orderliness in one's surroundings. Highly conscientious individuals frequently favor structured environments and immaculate surfaces, sometimes adopting minimalist design to sustain a sense of efficiency and control. This pursuit of external order can reflect an internal imperative to manage perceived disorder, sometimes manifesting in small, deliberate actions, such as straightening a chair, which functions as a minor 'ending ritual' to alleviate mental clutter during periods of stress or a need for control.

When an environment accurately mirrors an individual's personality, well-being is reportedly enhanced, as evidenced in studies of older adults where a congruence between décor and personality correlated with improved mood. The act of cleaning for company, therefore, extends beyond mere hygiene; it constitutes a complex, often subconscious, performance designed to manage social perception and affirm a specific identity to an external audience.