Plants are pretty important. It's not new news to say plants are imperative to our survival. Everything: food, building materials, natural medicine, oh and that whole taking carbon dioxide and transforming it into oxygen. It's not a surprise then, recent studies show that household plants have a direct impact on our mental health & wellness.
There are a number of reasons why household plants might improve our mood, and general consensus is they’re better to see and smell. Wallpaper and carpet can't compete with living things and vibrant colors. A recent study supports this notion in its research that there is a direct correlation between the amount of care required to keep a plant from dying and the positive psychological effect it had in the houseplant's caretaker. According to the research, those who have extended periods of time with plants tend to have healthier relationships with others and therefore experience heightened levels of happiness.
Plants Help People...Help People
Another study found that flowering plants provide elevated levels of happiness and therefore, having flowering houseplants around the house and in the office has the potential to significantly minimize stress levels. Science is science. Studies have shown that people who spend more time around plants are almost always more likely to try and help others, and tend to have more advanced social relationships. People who care for houseplants are more likely to care for others, reaching out to their peers and creating strong bonds out of their common interests.
Plants Reduce Stress
Natural aesthetic beauty can have a relaxing effect, and including ornamental houseplants around the family home is an awesome way to lower stress and anxiety. As a result of the increased happiness derived from a home that has plants in it, the likeliness of suffering from stress-caused depression is decreased as well. Study after study supports that by having plants in your house, you improve your mental health by activating peace and open spaces to your brain.
Houseplants Help You Remember Your Honey To-Do List
Including ornamental houseplants in the home and office improves memory retention and concentration. How? The calming influence of natural environments increases a person’s ability to focus on the task at hand. Going outside with nature or being around houseplants inside can boost memory retention as much as twenty percent, a recent University of Michigan study concluded (Sewach).
Convinced? Great. Here are two examples of great plants to have in your apartment:
Spider Plant
Spider plants are a very popular indoor botanicals, and your kids are going to love them because , spider plant. Best. name. ever. They’re very easy to maintain, and spider plants are impressively great at absorbing allergens or mold from the air and are great options to use in places that are prone to dampness: laundry room, downstairs, and bathrooms. Spider plants are fairly low maintenance, too. Provide them with bright, indirect light and your spider plant will love you. Water the houseplant well but do not allow it to become too soggy, which can lead to root rot. In fact, spider plants are okay to dry out some between waterings.
Snake Plant
A study of CO2 conversion in houseplants by Harvard University observed that the snake plant is one of the most oxygen-producing houseplants. Oh by the way, ficus and pothos are the other plants on the list. One of the best snake plant health benefits is snake plant's can make ongoing contribution to remove toxic air pollutants. Other than CO2, snake plant's can absorb benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene; all of which are cancer-causing pollutants. The snake plant is one of the low maintenance plants out there as snake plants can live-through weeks of neglect without losing their shape and vibrantlook. They can thrive in environments with very low light and water.
Notice a trend with our two plants? If you have kids, we’re trying to help it easier to get them excited! Who gets Spider and who gets Snake?