People Who Hate Having To Wear Clothes When They’re At Home Usually Share This One Quiet Superpower
Do you have it?
G-Stock Studio | Shutterstock Choosing to lounge in the buff while in the comfort of your own home isn't as rare an occurrence as you might think, and the preference doesn’t have a whole lot to do with body confidence or temperature. It is actually the result of a particular personality trait. A trait that many would consider a superpower.
I definitely know people who seem more inclined than others to hang out naked at home. Unfortunately, my dad was one of them. Okay, not completely naked. I mean, there were kids around. But he totally would have if he could. I prefer cute pajama sets, cozy sweatshirts, and Muumuu dresses, even when I’m completely alone and could be totally naked if I wanted to. But maybe that's something I should consider changing because research has shown that people who prefer going au naturel seem to be winning at life.
Research found that people who hate wearing clothes at home tend to be more intelligent.
In the world of psychological research, professionals often talk about the Big Five personality scale. The commonly used method divides personality types into five categories: agreeableness, extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, and openness to experience.
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In 2017, Researchers Lewis R. Goldberg and Benjamin P. Chapman decided to dig into that personality scale by conducting a 1000 person survey regarding hundreds of different behaviors to figure out how certain daily acts, everything from how often you talk on the phone to your views on being naked at home, and determine how those behaviors relate to the Big Five.
After compiling the data, they were able to associate specific behaviors with personality traits. For example, people with low levels of neuroticism were less likely to lose weight, while people with high agreeableness were more likely to sing in the shower.
At this point, you're probably asking yourself, "What does this have to do with being naked at home?" And here it is. Three surprising habits emerged from this research that related to the openness to experience personality trait, which was also linked to higher IQs. Those traits were a preference for eating spicy foods, a penchant for swearing, and ... drumroll please ... preferring to lounge at home without any clothes on!
Research out of the UK seems to indicate that people are getting more comfortable with their nudity.
Being a nudist is slightly different than enjoying a little naked time behind closed doors, of course, but a 2022 study out of the U.K. found that around 14% of the population identified as nudists. That basically means they enjoy being naked in designated nudist-approved areas like beaches and resorts.
That's pretty progressive for a generally reserved populace, especially when you consider 21% said they have skinny-dipped before and enjoyed it. That's a heck of a lot more bold than watching Netflix in the buff at home in the dark. But perhaps the bigger picture is that we as a society are starting to "get smarter" about the topic of nudity, in general. Is it really that scandalous, after all?
Most of Europe outside of the U.K. is a whole lot more comfortable with the human body, and why shouldn't they be? Women of all ages are topless at beaches, and no one bats an eye. But here in the U.S., as travel expert Rick Steves noted, "because my travel show includes naked statues, it actually has to be shown only after 10 p.m. in some American towns."
Perhaps these Europeans are a lot smarter than the rest of us if the research is any indication.
There are a lot more people who prefer to forego clothing in the comfort of their homes than you might realize.
Okay, the statistics are kind of limited, and there's long been a stigma associated with nudist or naturalist lifestyles, but since pandemic lockdowns, views have become a lot more lax when it comes to nakedness. People who might never have considered even trying it did because no one was going anywhere, and they realized it was pretty awesome.
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An informal study from 2020, conducted by CouponFollow and reported on by Denver7, found that 29% of the 1,000 people surveyed said they started working from home in the buff. Before that, a 2018 survey of 4,400 Women's Health readers found that 48% prefer to walk around the house naked.
Even Reddit weighed in. As one obviously super-intelligent user noted when answering whether they enjoyed being naked at home, "As soon as I get home from work." Another noted, "Im only dressed when company comes around or I leave the house. I literally wear boxers and socks all day even while WFH."
What this tells me is that if you have never tried being naked at home, add it to the bucket list. You might actually like it a lot more than you think. And if you do decide you like it or you are already one of those people who already have this superpower, I see you smartypantses, and I applaud you! I, however, might just stick to spicy food and swearing.
Shannon Ullman is a writer who focuses on travel and adventure, women's health, pop culture, and relationships. Her work has appeared in Huffington Post, MSN, and Matador Network.
