Liberal or conservative?

UNITED STATES: With the presidential election less than a month away, Americans are debating about which candidate they’ll vote for. And even if you rarely talk about politics at work, there is a simple way to find out whether your colleagues are conservative or liberal.

According to a new study by New York University psychologist John Jost, a look inside someone's office can show his or her political orientation, reports the website LiveScience. The study looked at the workplaces of nearly 100 people in five types of business: a real estate agency, an advertising agency, a business school, an architectural firm and a retail bank.

Jost and his colleagues then measured participants’ political views. It turns out that the offices of liberals tend to be more distinctive, comfortable, stylish, modern, colourful and less ordinary. Jost also noted there was often a greater variety of books in liberals’ offices than in the workplaces of conservatives.

On the other hand, conservatives’ rooms are more orderly and have plainer colours. “Conservatives' rooms tended to be cleaner, more brightly lit, better organized, less cluttered, and also more conventional and ordinary in terms of decoration,” Jost explained.

• Talking politics at work