Do Open Doors, Boxes, and Minds Make You Nervous?

Language is filled with metaphors. Some people are "bitter" and others are "sweet." We can have "dark" thoughts but also "bright" ideas. We can feel "on top of the world" or "down in the dumps."

Many metaphors contrast "open" and "closed" states and these metaphors follow from our daily experiences, given that we frequently encounter objects that are open (open stores, open boxes) or closed (locked houses, closed containers). When an object is open, we can inspect its contents and we can interact with them (for example, we can select and purchase products from a store that is open). When an object is closed, such interactions are discouraged.

Through the mechanism of metaphor, the concepts of "open" versus "closed" can then be applied to people, their minds, social systems, and even entire societies. For example, an open society like Denmark affords much greater freedom to its members than a closed society like North Korea.

Closed Versus Open Environments

Open and closed environments are fundamentally different. Open environments encourage interactivity and exploration, with few barriers to keep people from exploring. However, such environments change rapidly as new events (including opportunities and threats) present themselves. A closed environment is less eventful, but safer. A person can find a shelter to hide in and remain relatively undisturbed. Both types of environments have pluses and minuses.

Closed Versus Open Preferences

Do you prefer open or closed environments and what does this say about your personality? To examine the appeal of that which is open to that which is closed, we created a simple test and then asked seven groups of people deliberately generic questions such as "Which do you prefer? Open or closed?" and "Which word do you like better? Open or closed?" After averaging responses to the questions, we discovered that most participants preferred open to closed, but some participants preferred closed to open, perhaps because they imagined closed environments, which provide a sense of security that open environments do not. As anticipated, closed-preferring individuals scored higher in the personality trait of neuroticism, which is marked by anxiety, stress, and worry.

Closed-preferring individuals also agreed with statements like "I'm afraid of my feelings" and "When I'm upset, I have difficulty controlling my behaviors." Attempting to protect oneself from unpleasant thoughts and feelings may be appealing, but such thoughts and feelings are part of being human, and trying to escape negative thoughts and feelings tends not to work in the long term. Consistent with this idea, closed-preferring individuals were more prone to clinical symptoms of anxiety and depression. By contrast, other research has revealed that open-preferring individuals tend to be higher in the personality trait of extraversion and they tend to be happier.

The Openness Alternative

There are times when we need to protect ourselves, for example from exploitative or hostile others. But attempting to protect oneself at all times is likely to result in problems. Most unpleasant thoughts and feelings are not harmful and they can provide messages to the self that are worth attending to. Protecting the self can also create issues in one's relationships and limits one's capacity to recognize and seek rewarding new experiences. Such dynamics were recognized by the famous psychotherapist Carl Rogers, who contended that the fully healthy person is one who embraces openness in all its forms. Such individuals are curious about their feelings and they seek new information—whether good or bad—in the environment. Ultimately, preferences for openness may represent a healthier alternative to favoring a more closed mode of existence.

For Further Reading

Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. University of Chicago Press.

Robinson, M. D., & Irvin, R. L. (2022). Seeking protection, finding despair: Closed preferences as a model of neuroticism-linked distress. Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology, 41(3), 264-298. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2022.41.3.264

Rogers, C. R. (1963). The concept of the fully functioning person. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 1(1), 17-26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0088567

Michael Robinson is a Professor of Psychology at North Dakota State University. He studies many topics, including personality, metaphor, social cognition, and emotion.

Roberta Irvin is a graduate student at North Dakota State University. She is currently working on several projects related to emotional intelligence and social competence.