Benefits of fresh flowers
wedding-flowers-1

Benefits of fresh flowers

Fresh flowers have the ability to instantly brighten your mood and elevate a space. Across cultures and throughout millennia, flowers have been a beloved fixture of our homes and a part of every ceremony. Science agrees; various studies across the world have found that flowers have a positive effect on us. Here are 6 fabulous scientifically-proven advantages of having fresh flowers around your home or workspace.

  1. They reduce stress

During a 2-month experiment1 conducted on 170 women, the participants experienced an average of nine percent reduction of stress on the days they received flowers. According to Erin Largo-Wight, Ph.D., Associate Professor of University of North Florida's Department of Public Health and lead author of a study,  "There is a growing body of research that illustrates how environmental design positively impacts health. Now it is both intuitive and scientifically known that adding elements of nature, like flowers, to interiors promotes well-being."

That’s not all; researchers at Wesleyan University2 found that participants reported feeling more well-rested if they had sniffed lavender the night before.

  1. They make us happy

“Common sense tells us that flowers make us happy,” said Dr. Jeannette Haviland-Jones, a Professor of Psychology at Rutgers and lead researcher on another study3 which explored the link between flowers and life satisfaction in a 10-month study of participants’ behavioral and emotional responses to receiving flowers. “Now, science shows that not only do flowers make us happier than we know, they have strong positive effects on our emotional well being.”

Indeed, her research found that study participants across all demographics displayed extraordinary delight and gratitude upon receiving flowers. Study participants also reported reduced levels of depression and anxiety, and a greater sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction.

  1. They make spaces and people feel welcoming

The Rutgers study also explored where in their homes people display flowers. The arrangements were largely placed in areas of the home that are open to visitors suggesting that flowers are a symbol for sharing. “Flowers bring about positive emotional feelings in those who enter a room. The presence of flowers led to increased contact with family and friends. They make the space more welcoming and create a sharing atmosphere.” said Dr. Haviland-Jones.

Further research has found that flowers make intimate connections and that the presence of flowers led to increased contact with family and friends and that being around flowers increases the level of compassion that they feel for others and are more willing to extend a helping hand to those in need.

  1. They help recover from physical and emotional trauma

Dr. R. Ulrich of the University of Tübingen, Germany conducted extensive research4 in hospitals to study patients’ emotional and physiological reactions in the presence of natural elements and found that they universally elicited feelings like interest, pleasure, and calm. Based on this, he developed the well-proven Stress Reduction Theory (SRT) which clearly demonstrates that natural elements like fresh flowers have a restorative effect, easing our state of excessive alertness following a stressful situation.

Patients especially experience faster healing in rooms with fresh flowers. Specifically, they had significantly more positive physiologic responses evidenced by lower systolic blood pressure, and lower ratings of pain, anxiety, and fatigue according to research5 conducted by Drs. Seong-Hyun Park and Richard H Mattson at the Department of Horticulture at Kansas State University.

  1. It’s the perfect gift for everyone

A 2005 Rutgers study found that flowers induced a very positive reaction in both women and men of any age group when they were randomly handed out to people in elevators.  This effect was especially marked among senior citizens and seemed to have a positive impact on their episodic memory.

The study concluded, “We suggest that cultivated flowers are rewarding because they have evolved to rapidly induce positive emotion in humans, just as other plants have evolved to induce varying behavioral responses in a wide variety of species leading to the dispersal or propagation of the plants.”

As Michel Pollan poetically put it in his bestselling book The Botany of Desire6, “a handful of plants that manage to manufacture chemicals with the precise molecular key needed to unlock the mechanism in our brain governing pleasure, memory, and maybe even transcendence.”

  1. They boost your attractiveness

Gentlemen, take note! Dr. Nicolas Guéguen at the Université de Bretagne-Sud , France7 found that women who were exposed to flowers while they watched a video of a man perceived the man to be more attractive. Another experiment8 found that a man standing near fresh flowers had a 10% higher success rate when asking ladies out.

Common sense and traditional wisdom has always held flowers in high regard. Now, science has proved it to be the perfect gift for everyone to make them happier, less stressed, help them recover faster, brighten up a space and boost appeal. Very few gifts are perfect for everyone and for all occasions quite like flowers. What’s not to love?

Come by to Rowena Coelho’s floral atelier in Dubai to experience this for yourself!

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