🪴 Houseplants 🪴

Assortment of houseplants

Popular Varieties

Benefits

They may reduce anxiety and stress. 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.

Plants can sharpen attention. Research suggests visible greenery is restorative and increases the ability to concentrate, including among kids. In one study, for example, elementary-school students were assigned to a classroom with a fake plant, a real plant, a photo of a plant, or no plant. Brain scans revealed that only those who spent time in the company of a real plant experienced improvements in attention and concentration.

They could help patients heal faster. Plants may play a role in speeding up recovery from an illness, injury, or surgery. According to one research review, hospitalized 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 can increase happiness and life satisfaction. 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.

They might make you more productive. One older study found that after plants were added to a windowless computer lab, college students worked 12% faster. Other research focused on employees at a call center, and found that those who had a view of plants made up to 7% more calls per hour than those who couldn't see any plants. Yet another study found that office workers were 15% more productive after plants were introduced into their workspace.

They can make indoor life a pleasure. There's good reason interest in houseplants spiked during the pandemic. According to the results of one study conducted during stay-at-home orders in Bulgaria, people who had houseplants or a garden experienced fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety than those who did not. The findings “support the idea that exposure to greenery may be a valuable resource during social isolation in the home,” the study authors concluded.

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