My Favorite Health Benefits of Being Surrounded by Flowers
Don’t all those colors just make your soul sing?! I’m sighing just looking at them.
I’m going to preach it from the rooftops until you can hear me loud and clear: Flowers are PROVEN to INCREASE HAPPINESS! (is the all caps making it sound like I’m yelling at you? Because I am. I am yelling. But with the best intentions ;)
And by proven, I mean *scientifically* in peer-reviewed research. (What?!) Yes!
AND! My nerdy self has got the sources to back it up.
Here are three findings that will HELP YOU in your mental, emotional, & physical health journey (because aren’t we all on a health journey together?).
Both receiving flowers and being surrounded by flowers lessens depression and anxiety.
This is important. According to the CDC, 1 in 5 Americans experience a mental illnesses within any given year.
So if you’re not experiencing it, someone else close to you is.
In a study at Rutgers University, Jeannette Haviland-Jones found that study participants expressed “extraordinary delight and gratitude” upon receiving flowers spontaneously. They also reported feeling less depressed, anxious, and agitated upon having the flowers around for them to see.
Furthermore, in a study done by three doctors in Japan, when tired caregivers were given floral arrangements, they found a significant decrease in anxious feelings, directly benefiting those in their care.
2. Being surrounded by plants and flowers improves *actual* physical health.
Have you ever wondered why flowers are often brought to patients in hospital rooms?
Okay, okay, yes we know that many medicines are based off of ancient herbal remedies, but I’m not even talking about ingesting any plant material–I’m talking JUST having plants and flowers in your house (or hospital room, for instance).
In a study reported in the Journal for Horticulture Science, appendectomy patients that had flowers in their recovery rooms actually had lower blood pressure than the control patients.
Looking at flowers lowers blood pressure?! Cool!
AND if that wasn’t crazy enough, in the same study involving caregivers in Japan (that I mentioned previously) caregivers that received flowers from their patients reported improved insomnia symptoms, while the patients that arranged the flowers FOR their caregivers tested to have improved visuospatial memory
Personally, I haven’t tried keeping flowers on my nightstand, but if it might help me sleep, I should start!
My son, Ezra, who loves being in the flower field
3. Flowers increase intimate connections and increase contact with family and friends.
In the Rutgers University study, they found the above to be scientifically true. Flowers forge connections and bring people together. Participants that received flowers to keep in their house kept them in common spaces to be shared and appreciated. Why? Flowers are a symbol for sharing. Guests responded to a welcoming atmosphere.
Flowers symbolize unity.
“Common sense tells us that flowers make us happy,” said Dr. Haviland-Jones. “Now, science shows that not only do flowers make us happier than we know, they have strong positive effects on our emotional well being.”
This last one is the main reason I created Aurora Flora in the first place: to give friends the chance to gather together in a safe and beautiful space, make memories, slow down, live in the present, and connect.
In conclusion (I sound like a nerdy professor when I say that!)
I think most people that encounter flowers in nature, on the side of the road, at farms, and in their homes would agree that they make your soul feel a little lighter. Now, we have the science to prove it.
Nature has power. Power to heal, calm, and connect.
I’ve written the sources to the studies and articles at the bottom in case you’re interested in reading more!
Until next time, friend.
SOURCES:
Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D, “Rutgers: Flowers Improve Emotional Health.” American Society of Florists, 2018
Yamakawa, Mochizuki, Kotani, Mochizuki-Kawai, “The impact of a structured floral arrangement (SFA) program on caregivers’ mental health: A pilot study” Open Access Text: Trends in Medicine.
Seong-Hyun Park, Richard H. Mattson, “Effects of Flowering and Foliage Plants in Hospital Rooms on Patients Recovering from Abdominal Surgery.” American Society for Horticulture Science,
