The University of Exeter discovered moving to a greener area (parks and gardens) experienced an improvement in mental health and the improvements and positive benefits continued for at least three years of moving. Research links indoor house plants to reduced anxiety, lower stress, lower blood pressure. They can also help to improve respiratory problems and headache symptoms with their air purifying properties, by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. leading to an improved state of mind. Snake Plants always look fresh and are extremely durable and require very little attention to grow. They are known to provide strong protective energy (NASA say that they can remove toxins from the air).
In Europe and the US on average 90% of the time people spend indoors. Spending so long inside can have major consequences for your mental health. The World Health Organisation estimates 5% of adults suffer from depression globally. Stress depression and anxiety account for 55% of all working days lost in 2021-2022. Houseplants are an ideal way for everyone stuck inside to connect with nature. Plants make us feel good due to our inherent desire to connect with nature. Green is also associated with calmness, life, growth and positivity.
Plants also encourage people to take care of themselves, maybe not to the same level as a pet but many people do say that having a plant to take care of helps them be more motivated to live. Plant care is an active hobby that brings life into the home. Surrounding yourself with greenery can increase attentiveness, memory and productivity due to improved air quality and workplace satisfaction caused by plants.
Mental health foundation, Mental health and nature.
Royal Horticulture Society.
“Plants are soothing. In one study researchers asked people to repot a houseplant or complete a short computer-based task, and afterwards, they checked participants’ heart rate and blood pressure. Then the groups switched tasks. After working with plants, people reported feeling comfortable and soothed, and their blood pressure dropped. The computer task, on the other hand, caused them to feel uncomfortable and “artificial,” and was associated with a spike in blood pressure and sympathetic nervous system activity. The findings suggest that “indoor plants can reduce physiological and psychological stress,” the study authors concluded.”
Plants may play a role in speeding up recovery from an illness, injury, or surgery. According to one research review, hospitalised people who had a view of plants or trees were calmer and had better clinical outcomes, including a reduced need for pain medication and a shorter hospital stay, compared to those who didn’t. “
“They found that simply looking at plants had some benefits,” says Derrick Stowell, a past president of the American Horticultural Therapy Association. As a horticultural therapist, he’s used plants to help a variety of people, including those with mental-health conditions and people recovering from a stroke. For example, someone with a severe brain injury might struggle with impulsivity; horticultural therapy is one way they can practice making choices, like what to plant in their garden. Or a person recovering from substance use disorder who’s trying to improve their nutrition might start growing microgreens. Often, these sessions are held in a community setting, like a public garden, but at the end of treatment, Stowell helps clients figure out how their new skills can be applied at home. “That’s where houseplants and growing plants at home comes in,” he says.
The unofficial motto of the plant-loving community is “plants make people happy.” It’s true: In one experiment people who spent five to 10 minutes in a room with a few houseplants felt happier than those in a plant-free room. Levels of comfort and positive emotions increase with the duration of exposure to plants, according to one research review the authors noted that purple and green plants were particularly effective at reducing negative feelings. Spending time around plants is also linked with increased self esteem and greater life satisfaction.