Improve Your Mental & Physical Health by Simply Adding Houseplants
Plants are pretty important. News flash: plants are vital to our survival. Let's exam: food, buildings, medicine, oh and the most important of all, the process of taking carbon dioxide and transforming it into oxygen. It will come as no surprise then, recent studies conclude that household plants have a direct impact on our wellness.
There are many reasons why having indoor plants might improve our mood, and general consensus is they’re nicer to see and smell. Wallpaper and carpet can't compete with living things and active colors. A recent study further supports this notion in its report 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 its caretaker. According to the research, those who have extended periods of time in the presence of houseplants tend to have stronger relationships with others and therefore experience higher levels of happiness.
Fact: Plants Help People
Another study found that flowering plants provide increased levels of happiness and therefore, placing flowering houseplants around the apartment home and in the office is likely to significantly reduce stress levels. Science is science. Studies have shown that people who spend more time around houseplants are almost always more likely to try and help others, and often have more active social relationships. It makes sense, people who care for houseplants are more likely to care for others, reaching out to their peers and forming strong bonds resulting from their common interests.
Plants Help Reduce Stress
Natural aesthetic beauty is believed to have a calming effect, and keeping ornamental plants around the home is an awesome way to lower stress and anxiety. As a result of the positive energy derived from a space that has plants in it, the possibility of suffering from stress-induced depression is decreased as well. Collective research supports that by having plants in your house, you improve your mental health by activating peace and open spaces to your brain.
Plants Help You Remember Your To-Do List
Keeping ornamental houseplants in the home and office improves memory retention and concentration. How? Natural environments produce a calming influence which increases a person’s ability to focus on the task at hand. Going outside with nature or being around houseplants in your house can increase memory retention close to twenty percent, a recent University of Michigan study concluded (Sewach).
Convinced? Great. Here are a couple ideas for great houseplants to have in your apartment home:
Spider Plant
Spider plants are one of the most popular indoor botanicals, and your friends are going to love them because , spider plant. Best. name. ever. They’re super easy to care for, and spider plants are very good at absorbing allergens or mold from the air and can be put to good use in areas that are prone to dampness: laundry room, downstairs, and bathrooms. Spider plants are fairly low maintenance and easy to care for, too. Provide them with bright, indirect light and your spider plant will love you. Water your spider plant well but do not overwater, which can lead to root rot. Good for the occasionally forgetful, spider plants are okay to dry out a bit between waterings.
Snake Plant
A study of CO2 conversion in plants by Harvard University observed that the snake plant is one of the greatest oxygen-producing houseplants. For those interested, ficus and pothos are the other plants included on the list. One of the greatest snake plant health benefits is snake plant's can make small and ongoing contribution to get rid of toxic air pollutants. Outside of 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 most tolerant plants out there as they can live-through weeks of neglect without losing neither shape nor healthy, vibrant look. Snake plants can thrive in environments with limited light and water.
Notice a trend with our two suggestions? If you have kid visitors, we’re trying to help it easier to get them excited! Who doesn't love plants named Spider and Snake?