How Flowers Can Improve Your Mental Health and Well Being

There is a scientific reason why we give flowers to our significant others, people who are infirm, and to our mothers on Mother’s Day. Research shows that different flowers have different ways of enhancing people’s moods, either by their scent or their color. Everyone loves the smell of a rose or a gardenia. In fact, the presence of these flowers can change the entire energy of a room from gloomy to bright. As Mother’s Day comes around the bend, it is customary to give flowers to all the mothers you know in your life, but perhaps not just as a gesture of your appreciation, but also to make their day that much better. Here are some ways flowers can improve your mental health and well being.

For one, flowers reduce stress. A combination of the smell and color of the flowers can decrease stress levels if placed in the home or office space. Employers have seen decreased levels of worker burnout and increased productivity when flowers were placed around the office. On a molecular level, these stress-reducing effects have a biological and evolutionary advantage for flowers. In the wild, pollinator insects, like bees and even some birds are attracted to flowers as a result of their particular color and scent. The flowers have actually been known to manipulate their color and scent to attract more pollinators, thus having a better chance of propagating.

Flowers have also been known to reduce depression. This is the reason why we give sick people a bouquet of flowers when they are in the hospital. It is of course a nice gesture, but it can actually have a number of psychological benefits for the person receiving the flowers. Studies have shown that people who are sick and have flowers around them not only have better moods, but the increase in endorphins and other natural mood enhancing chemicals in their brain can actually assist in healing.

Also, the reason why we give our significant others flowers isn’t just as a gesture or token of our love and appreciation, but also because flowers have been known to create stronger bonds between people. In fact, the process of handing someone even a single rose creates multiple psychological networks in the brain between partners. Perhaps we underestimate the significance of this exchange, but it can be quite powerful in the event that you are trying to possibly woo a partner or trying to mend the fence with an existing one.

Lastly, flowers aren’t just sweet smelling and pretty, they can actually improve our mood and well being. Little do we know this, but our relationship to the plant kingdom is much stronger than we think. It is indeed human nature to gravitate toward something that is beautiful and smells great, but it can actually make us happier and help improve our health. So, this Mother’s Day, why not hand the mother in your life a bouquet of flowers, not only as a gesture of appreciation, but also of good health.