Your most-loved house plants and flowers have much to offer, from their sweet fragrances to their marvelous petals, colors, and inspiring symbolism. Here at Eastern Floral, the premier florist in Grand Rapids, our customers love displaying flowers in their homes and giving them to loved ones for special celebrations or to make them smile. However, there is more to Mother Nature’s gifts than meets the eye. Our experts are exploring the health benefits of incorporating flowers into your self-care routine and everyday life. Learn how some of your favorite plants and blooms can improve emotional and mental health, boost productivity, and even speed up recovery after an illness.
9 Benefits of Having Plants and Flowers in Your Home
Flowers Make People Happy
Is there anyone who doesn’t smile upon receiving beautiful flowers? Now we know flowers can keep that smile around for longer and more. Behavioral research studies conducted at Harvard, Rutgers, and Texas A&M have shown that flowers can make people happier, promote feelings of compassion, and improve energy. This study stated that flowers also could induce immediate feelings of happiness and delight, promote long-term mood-boosting effects, and reduce feelings of depression, anxiety, and agitation. If you have someone you’d like to bring joy to, flowers are the perfect, science-backed gift.
Flowers Decrease Stress
The sight of flowers makes us smile, and their scent can make us relax and feel less anxious. Breathing in the sweet fragrance of flowers has a relaxing and stress-reducing effect, and it’s well-researched that flowers bring moments of tranquility and calm. Plus, several studies link reduced stress with flowers, including one from the University of North Florida that showed women who received flowers had a statistically significant reduction in stress levels.
Plants Improve Memory & Concentration
Studies show that performing tasks and projects under nature’s peaceful and relaxing influence yielded better results. Having plants in the workplace or at home has been proven to increase memory and concentration. Studies also show that work completed in an area with fresh greenery is more likely to be of higher quality and more accurate than work in an environment devoid of greenery.
Plants & Flowers Can Enhance Learning in Kids
Research shows kids who have fresh, natural flowers and plants in their learning environment have higher learning capabilities. The impacts of being around natural elements help them to concentrate and focus, making it easier for children to retain and absorb new information. In addition, kids with Attention Deficit Disorder tend to have better focus and concentration and will engage more with their environment if it’s filled with flowers and living plants.
Plants & Flowers Promote Productivity
Whether working from home or in a cubicle, make it a point to have a vase of fresh flowers or a thriving plant in your workspace to help increase your productivity. Being in nature, or having natural elements around you, helps improve your vitality and energy levels, making you a better worker. Plants and flowers have also been shown to stimulate innovation and creativity leading to increased productivity.
Flowers Help You Start the Day on a High Note
Place a vase of flowers on your bedstand, by the coffeemaker, or near the front door so you see it before you leave in the morning and benefit from the immediate boost of happiness they provide. Flowers can jumpstart your positive mood – which can last all day long.
Plants & Flowers Improve Relationships
Research shows people who spend a lot of time around plants benefit from increased feelings of compassion and empathy for others. It’s also been shown that when people spend more time around plants, they are more likely to try and help others. In short, the “green” benefits of having ornamental plants around can improve relationships between people.
Plants and Flowers Improve Emotional Health
Research conducted at Rutgers found that flowers generate happy emotions and strengthen feelings of overall life satisfaction far beyond what was initially believed. In an article in Psychology Today, Dr. Jonathan S. Kaplan suggests plants and flowers reduce stress because of the distraction from life and the improved air quality they provide. Another study shows that just the pleasant fragrance of flowers can reduce stress.
Flowers Enhance the Well-Being of Seniors
Flowers can improve common age-related concerns by decreasing depression, inspiring contact with friends and family, and slowing memory loss among older adults. Flowers make people happy, and happier people live healthier and longer lives.
Well, the science is in, and it looks like a prescription from Mother Nature in the form of plants and flowers can do a world of good for everyone’s well-being. We can’t think of a more natural or beautiful way to relieve anxiety, reduce stress, improve health, uplift spirits, and promote energy than by surrounding ourselves with plants and flowers.
Local flower shops like Eastern Floral are uniquely qualified to deliver the freshest and highest quality flowers and plants to help you live your best and happiest life. Enhance your home and your life with fresh botanicals all year round.
