Houseplants have been proven to improve concentration, productivity, reduce stress levels, and boost mood. They are soothing and can be found in various settings, such as homes, offices, and even office spaces. Studies have linked houseplants to reduced stress, lower blood pressure, and an improved state of mind.
Indoor plants not only visually brighten up a home but also increase happiness and reduce stress. People who spend between five to ten minutes in a room with several indoor plants feel happier than those who spend less time in a room with few plants. The duration of exposure to plants increases levels of comfort and positive emotions, with purple and green plants being particularly effective at reducing negative feelings.
Research has linked houseplants to reduced stress, lower blood pressure, and an improved state of mind. Plants can increase creativity, reduce anxiety and stress, improve attention and productivity, and stimulate the brain to feel good. The presence of plants has been linked to improved performance and increased energy levels. The uplifting impact of plants can stimulate our emotions and improve our overall well-being.
Interacting with plants in your home or office can be a source of pleasure, as it relieves stress, boosts creativity, productivity, and focus. Interacting with plants can increase life satisfaction, reduce anxiety and stress, spark creativity, boost productivity, and even mitigate some of the negative effects of stress. Overall, houseplants offer numerous benefits that can contribute to overall well-being and overall happiness.
📹 Houseplants Can (Probably) Make You Happier
Houseplants are great for decoration and cute Instagram pictures – plus they make for pretty chill roommates. As if that wasn’t …
Why is Gen Z obsessed with plants?
Gen Z is increasingly concerned about the future of our planet, with 82 out of 82 adults wanting to grow their own vegetables and 1 in 2 wanting companies to take a stance on social issues. Plants provide a sense of caring for the environment, allowing Gen Z to make small steps towards environmental conservation. The meaning of home is changing, from a tidy oasis to a place to store meaning, memories, and the most important things in life.
Are plants happier when you talk to them?
Mild vibrations, according to Smithsonian and Nasa research, can boost plant growth by improving communication and photosynthesis, which in turn enhances growth and resistance to infection. This is a positive effect, according to Dr Hes. Rachel Okell, founder of Sydney-based plant consultancy Our Green Sanctuary, believes that happy plants are crucial for their health. If a dracaena is drooping, gentle encouragement may be beneficial. The study suggests that plants can thrive with gentle vibrations.
Do houseplants like to be touched?
Houseplants should not touch each other as they can feel touch, which can cause a genetic defense response that reduces growth and increases their vulnerability to pests. Therefore, it is generally not recommended for houseplants to touch each other. It is important to understand why houseplants prefer a solo existence or if there are rare occasions when grouping them together is better for their well-being. Touching plants can also lead to diseases and infections. Therefore, it is crucial to consider the potential health benefits of interacting with houseplants.
Do houseplants affect mood?
Plants have a strong connection with our minds, and even a few minutes of being in their presence can make us feel happier and more satisfied. Studies have found that less than 20 minutes is enough to make us feel more at peace. The smells of plants can also make a significant difference in our mood, although studies on their effects on nonvisual senses are limited. Plants can also bring about feelings of escape, especially during pandemic stay-at-home orders.
Participants who had indoor plants experienced significantly fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety than those who did not. Being surrounded by houseplants led to feelings of “being away” from social or physical demands.
Why am I obsessed with indoor plants?
Indoor gardening can significantly impact nature’s well-being, according to a study in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology. It reduces stress, improves mood, and creates a calming atmosphere, contributing to better mental health and overall well-being. A psychologist at the University of Michigan also found that a green environment can restore physical and mental health, referred to as “restorative environments”.
This enthusiasm for plants today is reminiscent of our ancestors’ generational cycle of returning to the source when the world is in disarray, as seen in the generational cycle of tended soil and cultivated land.
Why do my plants make me so happy?
Indoor plants offer numerous mental and physical health benefits, including reduced stress, lower blood pressure, and improved mental state. They also contribute to higher job satisfaction and reduced health complaints in office environments. Houseplants, which are often considered calming due to their green colors, can brighten up a dull space and boost mood. A study conducted by the University of Reading and the Royal Horticultural Society found that 520 people’s psychological responses to the appearance of different houseplants were influenced by their perception of the plant’s appearance. Therefore, choosing the right plant can significantly improve overall health.
Do plants in your room make you happier?
Indoor plants offer psychological benefits such as improved mood, reduced stress, and increased productivity, especially in office environments. The number of plants used in homes is debated, but the greater the number, the better the air quality and overall well-being. Easy-to-grow foliage houseplants can be grown in homes, schools, and offices due to their attractive leaves, ability to withstand indoor conditions, and affordability. Indoor foliage plants can reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and contribute to a healthier environment.
Do fake plants improve mood?
Artificial plants, like fauxliege, can improve our mood by mimicking nature and its creations. Greenery has restorative and grounding effects, dispelling mental fatigue and negative emotions. It enhances the ambiance of any setting and contributes to a heightened sense of well-being. Artificial greenery also alleviates allergies by eliminating pollen or allergen-related concerns. Fauxliege provides the aesthetic pleasure of greenery without triggering coughing and sneezing, allowing users to enjoy greenery without peak pollen season discomfort. This alleviates allergies, improves mental clarity, and creates a healthier indoor environment. It’s also a perfect gift for loved ones.
Are people happier with plants?
Plants can increase happiness and life satisfaction, according to a study. People who spent five to 10 minutes in a room with houseplants felt happier than those in a plant-free room. Exposure to plants increases levels of comfort and positive emotions, with purple and green plants being particularly effective at reducing negative feelings. Spending time around plants is linked to increased self-esteem and greater life satisfaction. Plants provide predictability when things are uncertain, reducing feelings of fear and anxiety.
They can also boost productivity, with studies showing that adding plants to a windowless computer lab, call center employees, or office workers can lead to increased productivity. The plant-loving community’s unofficial motto is “plants make people happy”. The study also found that having a view of plants can lead to more calls per hour and increased productivity.
Do houseplants boost serotonin?
Houseplants provide stress relief by bringing nature’s benefits into the home. Surrounded by greenery, they increase serotonin levels and dopamine levels. Indoor plants also purify the air by removing toxins from outdoor pollutants and indoor ones, producing oxygen, and raising humidity levels. This helps alleviate congestion and reduce snoring. Houseplant husbandry is a rewarding hobby, similar to outdoor gardening, as it provides a sense of purpose and satisfaction.
Watching plants grow and unfurl new leaves or spotting the first flower is a unique and wonderful feeling that uplifts the mind. Despite ongoing studies on their true air purifying capabilities, indoor plants are proven to be effective in reducing toxins and improving air quality.
Is it healthy to have a lot of houseplants?
A 1989 NASA study found that houseplants can improve air quality by removing cancer-causing chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene. The soil in potted plants also helps clean indoor air, with microorganisms in the soil having anti-depressive effects. The bigger and leafier the plant, the better it is. A 2015 study found that caring for indoor plants reduced psychological and physiological stress in participants, suppressing sympathetic nervous system activity and diastolic blood pressure. Participants reported feeling more comfortable working with plants compared to working on a computer.
📹 Plants Make Us Happier
I’ll continue to create more videos surrounding minimalism, self-development and personal wellness. New video every Tuesday.
Maybe plants make us feel comfortable and safe because way back in evolution hiding in ground cover made us less exposed to predators. Like maybe small green leafy plants remind our primitive brains of our tree dwelling days among the branches. That could explain some healing or restorative effect it’s like telling our body you’re safe here you have permission to put energy into healing because you don’t need to be running from or fighting against anything.
I and my 30+ houseplants agree, it’s very soothing and makes me happy to look after my plants and see how they grow when I give them what they need to thrive, but my current infestation of bugs and my several ailing calatheas can attest that they also can be a source of stress when they’re not doing well.
Maybe the effect plants have on our minds and bodies is instinctual? Like…maybe it’s not the plants that make us feel better but rather the reduction of the artificial energy that buildings and enclosed areas inherently have. I know the talk of energy sounds kind of hippie dippie-ish, but idk, maybe our brains experience a constant, low level of stress while we’re in artificial/man-made-looking/feeling structures, because it’s not something our brains evolved to understand without effort. Maybe it’s as if our brains are constantly having to make sense of the foreign quality of our glass windows, brick walls, and chrome appliances, and lessening that burden by making our surroundings more instictually familiar with plants and such is what helps us feel and perform better. Idk, I might be totally off and completely inaccurate, but it’s the first thing I thought of after perusal this article. I keep dozens of plants myself (a ton in my bedroom and some vegetables and flowers outdoors), and I 100% can say that I always feel significantly more at ease when I’m surrounded by greenery, even if I don’t know why exactly that is.
We were aloud to have plants in the call center I worked at for a couple years. I really enjoyed having my jade plant around and seeing the plants other people had on their desks. There was quite an uproar when the building maintenance said we needed to get rid of our plants and I really felt a negative mood shift after they were gone.
They remind me how I am connected with nature as sometimes I forget. I have almost 100 plants in my apartment now! Each plant has different water, sunlight, nutrient, air, medium and environmental needs just like humans. It’s fascinating perusal the processes and cycles of nature and the endless variety and diversity of plants available. I love having a variety of plant shapes, colours, textures, scents, heights, patterns etc and it’s amazing how much diversity nature has. I also enjoy witnessing how each reproduce/flower/propogate differently and seeing my plants flourish. I guess it’s the millennial alternative to having something to care for that isn’t a pet. Additionally I also place my food scraps/coffee grounds on my plants to naturally fertilise them while improving my environmental footprint. I also grow my own herbs which taste far better. Overall I think the cleaner air, visual appeal, challenge, improved health, reduced environmental impact and deeper connection/appreciation for nature explains why I’m much happier with plants.
Having spent months in ICU, routinely forgot about to near fatal results by overworked staff in underfunded hospitals, I can see why seeing plants and knowing that the patients are so well cared for there is enough energy to spill over into taking care of useless plants might be enough to explain this effect.
Probably a lot of reasons for why they relax us, so gonna hard to isolate the variables…. Plants don’t get hungry and kill us, plants are usually useful for hiding, bedding, food, and usually indicates nearby water. Though I wonder if there is similar effects when in presence of some water decorations.
plants can indeed make you happy, especially in huge amount of lushness and variety, its part of nature and how nature works. I am very happy to be in our family roofdeck garden because that is where most of our garden plants are now and seeing them thrive gives me that sense of accomplishment, it is indeed that one who plants a garden believes in the future. it is one of our evolutionary traits to care and watch out for nature since we didn’t thrive in a urban jungle today as it was in a jungle or in a savannah millions of years ago
Maybe it’s because they see that there is life around them, which gives them peace of mind(something like “hey there’s life around me I’m not alone” and “the plant is alive in this room and so that must mean I’m gong to survive etc…”something like that) and the reason why some experience this differently is maybe because they have different preferences for plants, and also some may not like plants which can lead to negative results
The past few months I have been really depressed and upset for honestly no reason and a few weeks ago I bought a a BUNCH of plants and have been taking care of them and my mental health has improved sooo much and Ik this sounds odd but I’m honestly obsessed with plants now and now I’m building a green house
The act of seeing something live and grow can be appealing. The effect I reference can done with a developing program of something that interests the patients. For me this could be perusal a computer program play the article game DotA 2 and developing strategies for competing better. Right now they have a bot which can win against pro players in a solo mid only game. They are in progress of making a full team that can do this too and it is exciting!
i think also i heard somewhere that the color green reduces anxiety and boosts your mood. which makes sense because it’s EVERYWHERE (outside.) i think also wind is maybe a factor as well because it put that color green into motion, so it might be kind of complicated. don’t you normally feel good while you are driving? at least when you take the back roads? maybe the sense of movement also is a factor in stimulating your dopamine.
I absolutely adore having plants. I would say it’s helped me out to let my brain slow down They take time and although I’ve liked being a busy person, I’ve also realised it’s brought on more useless thoughts, I can take the time plan something or just not stress out so much PLANT YOUR NATIVE FLOWERS FOR THE FREAKING NATIVE BEE’S! AND SHARE THE SEEDS WITH OTHER PEOPLE
I thought that this sounded like a hoax at first, but then I remembered something: when I was stuck in the hospital for several months, the thing I missed the most was hiking and being out amidst the conifers and other trees. I mean, walking was definitely something I missed, but I didn’t actively wish that I could walk around a city! So I guess it’s not totally a hoax after all!
It’s not about data it’s about what the plant represents. We have so much stress from work studying plans we’re making and the digital world. But guess what this plant is here trying to live, this is its world it’s trying to survive. That’s what’s beautiful it doesn’t care about your plans because it’s to busy in his own world to care. All it wants is water sunny light and lots of love and that’s great and beautiful! It’s a call back to a simpler time I guess you can say.
I bet plants make people feel more relaxed in general because we associate them with being outside in nature, where you can run and hide from the stress and scary things of everyday life. Plus, if you’re in a (threatening) artificial environment (like an office, school or hospital) and you see lots of plants around you, you might feel like: if they are able to survive there, than so can you.
If it’s only visual or if there is a visual component to this, then compare these studies to studies of how the look of one’s environment affects one’s mood -such as having only solid colors, which colors, having patterns (such as in wallpaper) and what kind of patterns, overly busy patterns everywhere you look, etc. and of course the obvious -fake house plants. Another thing to consider, in spaces with low ventilation, the effects of photosynthesis, and air purification (and humidification?) done by the plants.
Hi Hank, I have ADHD/ASD and many people with ADHD report feeling more relaxed and being able to concentrate better out in nature or surrounded by plants. I’m not 100% sure but I think this has something to do with attention restoration theory. Delving into neurodiversities becomes complicated very quickly but I would be interested to see an episode of sci-show specifically about psychological evolutionary mismatch.
A tip about what plants to buy if you have trouble with plants: Peace Lilly. That’s it. Get a peace lilly. Why? Doesn’t need direct sunlight. Can be bought in different sizes. Most importantly, it can be used to teach you how often to water your plants! Most people who have trouble with plants either over water or under water them, and either extreme is bad. And every environment is different – so it’s impossible to say “once every X days, this amount”. A peace lilly is a great teacher because if you leave it alone, and wait… WAIT until it starts drooping/wilting (peace lillies are obvious about it!), you now know you missed watering it by ONE day. If this is your first time watering it at your home, water it, whatever (reasonable) amount you think it needs, and then wait again until it wilts – you will then know how much water, and how often (one day less) to water it … Once you have your peace lilly routine sorted out (it may change with the seasons – most houses are much dryer in winter – so you might have to relearn each season) you can confidently assume most leafy plants (not cactus or succulents or orchids) in a similar sized pot will need a similar amount of watering on the same routine.
my brother had a ton of house plants that he never bothered to re-pot, he began to get sick constantly one cold after another without knowing why. turns out most of the pots the plants were in had grown super moldy and he has a genetic abnormality which makes its very very difficult for his body to process and get rid of mold toxin. he now has an auto immune disorder from the mold and has been sick for almost two years. 😐
The Japanese has the wonderful word “Shinrin-yoku”, or “forest bathing”. Isn’t there a study of how many trees is required to add a therapeutic effect on people? We build parks everywhere we can and people enjoy them. I have one specific plant in my house that I care some extra for, everyone I know got at least one plant in their home so something must be going on.
Let me tell you a story about house plants….. For years there were these tiny gnats and fuit flies that i would find dead in the sink of my bathroom and kitchen. No matter where i looked for the source, the place of entry, i just couldn’t figure out where these little buggers were comming from. Until one day.. when i needed to re-pot a houseplant that had happened to outgrown its home. As i pulled that plant out of the pot, to my astonishment the composition of the substrate of this pot was nearly 60-40%, maggots to dirt. You know what i did next right… i checked every damn houseplant i own, and nearly all of them had some sorts of thriving subterranean communities amongst their roots. Some had colonies of centipedes, and others just pill bugs with the occasional worm. Luckily for me, i like bugs. I have a pet spider of the sub genus phidippus audax, her name is spot. She’s a mother to a few hundred spiderlings whom I’ll need to promptly kick out of the house when they become of age. Now, if this story makes you squeamish, or you’re like a friend of mine and you suffer from debilitating Entomophobia. Then you may want to reconsider those house plants. Because as I’ve come to learn from other sources and a little research. This is quite the common ordeal. Though they may cause some degree of pleasure, it’s been long disproven that they have any effect on air quality. Enjoy your flora umbraticis, and please dont needlessly kill spiders. Eight legged lives matter.
1) The original humans were adapted to an environment with many plants, not these artificial caves we build everywhere. In fact, spending the majority of our time in buildings is a relatively new thing for humans. 2) Astronauts on the ISS when given the task of taking care of plants voluntarily spent (if memory serves) more than twice as much time with the plants than their duties required.
I’m not surprised at all about this. To me, it seems it is much the same as why we feel so much better after a walk through the woods or around outdoor greenery. I won’t claim to know any of the physiological reasons why this happens, but I bet it is tied to the fact that we are animals that evolved in the wild, around plants all the time. We didn’t evolve to live indoors, we evolved to live outdoors, amongst plants of various types (sure, the plains of the Great Rift Valley might have been a bit more sparsely covered in vegetation, but before that out more distant ancestors did live among more greenery). So it is only natural, IMO, that plants make us feel better in some way; we evolved to be around them.
Could it be that we are an animal that use to live in nature and now desires nature? I mean I have heard people say I don’t like cats, dogs and kids but I have never heard someone say they hate gardening. That’s not to say they don’t exist. Just that it isn’t common. I instead hear “I have a black thumb” or “I kill anything green” almost lamenting the lack of current ability to keep a plant.
Maybe these studies should look at their results from the other side? 4:28 Man looking at plant: Recognizes a plant. Brain done working. Man looking at planter: Well I can fix that, brain starts churning. 4:49 People looking at plant: Recognize a plant. Brain done working. Looking at a PICTURE of a plant: Well this is pretty f useless.
Sadly, I’m going to have to be one of those naysayers (as much as I would love to think that plants are scientifically shown to directly improve health). People find comfort in things that they do not associate hospitals/stressful events with. It makes sense, most people find hospitals very uncomfortable and scary. Plants seem to be one of those outlets, therefore it would make patients feel better, which improves healing and general physical and mental health while hospitalized. The problem is, is it really the plants that are doing that or is it a “psychological placebo” they find in “home comforts”? Therefore, plants would only be one of many things that people could derive a psychological boost while being in the hospital or anywhere else where stress is induced. I for one don’t really care if it’s scientifically proven or not, I enjoy plants. I know they make me happy, and whether I get some sort of psychological boost from it, it still improves my mood even if only temporarily. For people who struggle with mental or physical health, anything and everything counts. Then again, I am a person who enjoys plants, whereas most of my family thinks it is a waste of time. To each their own, I suppose!
I wonder if it might just be psychosomatic? Like, maybe we’re brought up to view plants (or the idea of being in nature) as beneficial to our health, resulting in the presence of plants actually helping us? I wonder if the same effects would be observed with study participants from different cultural backgrounds (I have no idea how much the perception of plants differs between cultures, though).
I can see the plants being there has to do with the fact we havent evolved in boxed rooms with somewhat sterile an uninteresting enviorments so it might just be we feel like we are closer to our natural environments to which the human brain have evolved towards granted though that argument isnt as good when you consider humans have lived in self made shelters for a very long time granted not as smooth flat and boxy as it is the modern day but still similar thought to the modern buildings causing depression because the environment isn’t as stimulating and is consistently dull square and flat compared the natural patterns we are use to seeing in human evolution like fractals and spirals etc etc
Okay, it’s very very rare I don’t like an episode of SciShow but this one needs some help. Not sure if they’re over complicating it but here’s several scientifically proven reasons why plants can make you happier. The color green is so naturally calming to the eye it can even increase endurance during exercise by up to %70. Plants give off negative ions which are good for us physically and mentally (to put that simply for now). And plants create oxygen! More oxygen in the air will make anyone feel better, again, both in the brain and body. More energy and cleaner air from the oxygen and ions. I’m no pro but had to share 🤓☮️
I used to buy so many plants. But after moving little by little into the “minimalism movement” I’ve realized plants used to serve as pure aesthetics instead of plant appreciation. I’ve given away most of my plants to friends and family and kept my favorites: Alocasia Frydeck, Marble Queen Pothos, Yellow Orchid and Monstera Deliciosa. I’ve learned so much about soil types, levels, mediums and overall care of specific plants and appreciate their beauty on their own instead of the thought “what plant can fill this corner/shelf?” 🌱🤍
Luckily in Switzerland our air is clean. Forests are all over the place, so forest bathing is no problem at all. Our country is also quiet. Even though, we are now in lockdown, we have space to move around ( no tourists is really nice). Spring has arrived so plants are springing up in nature. I enjoy plants in my studio apartment. It also brings a bit of outside in. The green of plants is also uplifting, especially in a bleak snowy winter. Bless you.
I’m a great believer in the biophilia hypothesis, having plants in my home grounds me mentally when life becomes to busy to enjoy nature first hand. I don’t feel plants have effected my minimalism journey negatively, only enriched my space and mind. Hope you continue to grow and expand your collection.
I had 8 plants in my apartment once, and I was happy all the time. Now I have none, and don’t have as much energy. Your article reminded me of my past happiness with plants. I have made it a goal to get plants this year. One recommendation of mine is to get plants with big thick leaves. They were the hardest to kill. I remember watering all my plants once a week. You begin to get a good feel of how much to water. Just don’t overdo the watering, and remember to fertilize once a month.or so.