You may have noticed that in recent years, there’s been a tremendous comeback of the common houseplant. From the health-care industry to Instagram hipsters, it seems everyone has gone houseplant happy!
Indoor plants have always been a way to make a house more a home, but beyond their interior design appeal, new revelations about the psychological and physical health benefits of houseplants have sparked a resurgence. We’re finding out they may just hold the key to happiness, because a healthier you is a happier you.
A Healthier You Is A Happier You
Every day, we’re subject to multiple sources of worry about managing our day-to-day obligations, juggling finances, job or academic pressures, relationship struggles and even concern over current affairs, just to name a few. Each moment of anxiety experienced is a stress response. These micro reactions can add up to chronic stress that plays a role in our mental well-being and our physical health.
According to 2023 Stress In America survey insights, APA psychologists overwhelmingly concur that our society is grappling with the mental health effects of a shared traumatic experience, following the Covid-19 pandemic. We all know the correlation between stress and heart disease, but research shows we’re also getting less fresh air and that has an impact as well.
We work hard, and as a result we’re clocking more screen time and less green time. Due in part to an increased dependence on technology, there’s a documented, widening human disconnect with nature. Between school, the workplace, our home and our cars, we spend about 90% of our time indoors, where concentrations of some pollutants (VOCs) are often 2-5X higher than typical outdoor concentrations.
So, therein lies the challenge. How can we offset the routine and lifestyle we’ve become so accustomed to without adding more stress?! Get houseplant happy.
Get Houseplant Happy
As humans, we have an inherent inclination to affiliate with nature. Biophilia is a real thing and it describes our affection for plants and other living things. An article titled, Biophilia: Does Visual Contact With Nature Impact on Healthy and Wellbeing from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health discusses how, “Adding elements of nature to living spaces can presumably induce positively valued changes in cognition and emotion, which again may impact on stress level, health and well-being.”
With so much science-backed information becoming available on the health benefits of plants and simply getting closer to nature, it’s no wonder U.S. houseplant sales have increased 50 percent in the last three years. If you’re on a quest to introduce more calm, greater peace and positivity in your life, houseplants are the latest happy, healthy and beautiful obsession!
Find Serenity
If you would like to do some of your own research, we recommend a visit to our greenhouse, where we grow and nurture hundreds of houseplants onsite. We think you’ll find a walk in the warmth, among the greenery and scent of the earth, to be a serene experience that quiets the mind, soothes the soul, and stimulates the senses! Until you can visit in-store, shop our Houseplants online and we’ll ship them fresh from our greenhouse right to your door.
My Pro Tip:
The colder months are creeping in and everything from less daylight to hunkering down indoors to avoid poor weather can have an impact on our mood and our immune system. Introduce some potted plants now to make your home or workspace houseplant happy this winter! Check out our Air Purifying Collection with plants shown to be effective at removing toxins from indoor spaces in the NASA Clean Air Study. To brighten up your outlook during the darkest of winter days, I recommend our Windowsill and Blooming collections. Don’t forget to treat yourself to fresh flowers once in a while. It’s the kindest act of self-care, plus flowers are also proven to trigger happy brain chemicals and reduce stress.
