Benefits of houseplants
The last 3 years have seen a spike in people embracing gardening and greenery both outdoor and indoor. The lure of a plastic plant is strong – they need absolutely zero attention. But it won’t improve your attention span.
Research tells us that houseplants improve health and well-being but in what other ways do they help us? Science shares all….
Reduced stress levels
A recent study found that plants in your home or office can make you feel more comfortable and soothed.
Participants in the study were given two different tasks – repotting a houseplant or completing a short computer-based task. After each task, researchers measured the biological factors associated with stress, including heart rate and blood pressure.
They discovered that the indoor gardening task lowered the stress response in participants. The computer task, however, caused a spike in heart rate and blood pressure.
Researchers concluded that working with plants could reduce both physiological and psychological stress.
Benefits of therapeutic gardening
For people experiencing the symptoms of mental illness, indoor gardening can be helpful. Scottish based charity Trellis work with many healthcare professionals to help those with depression, dementia and anxiety to name a few. ‘Green prescribing’ is now a key factor in helping those with mental health issues.
Increased recovery time
Being able to look at plants and flowers may speed your recovery from an illness, injury, or surgery.
A 2002 review of the research revealed that people recuperating from several kinds of surgery needed less pain medication and had shorter hospital stays than people who weren’t looking at greenery during their recovery periods.
Productivity boost
Multiple studies have found that plants in the workspace increase both productivity and creativity. One frequently cited study from 1996 found that students in a campus computer lab worked 12 percent faster and were less stressed when plants were placed nearby.
And a 2007 study showed that people with more plants in their workspace took fewer sick days and were more productive on the job.
Plants may improve your whole outlook on work
A view of green space might improve anyone’s job satisfaction — but it might surprise you to learn that a potted plant could have a similar effect.
Researchers interviewed over 440 Amazon employees in India and the United States. They found that those whose office environment included natural elements like indoor plants felt greater job satisfaction and more commitment to the organisation than those who didn’t work around natural elements.
Plants may improve the quality of indoor air
NASA conducted a study back in the 1980’s to see how they could improve the air quality in a sealed spaceship. They concluded that the roots and soil of houseplants reduced airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) significantly. This, however, has since been called into question as you would need a large number to purify the air. But all these findings reveal that being surrounded by indoor plants, both at home and work is beneficial.
If you do decide to purchase houseplants to freshen the air naturally, these are several of the species thought to be most effective:
Areca, lady, dwarf date, and bamboo palms
Boston fern
Rubber tree
Spider plant
Ficus tree
As ever, if you have any questions, please do pop in and see us!
