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Houseplants Equal Improved Mental Health & Wellness

April 15, 2019

Houseplants near a couch

Plants are extremely important. It's not new news to say plants are an essential part of our survival. Let's exam: food, construction materials, natural medicine, oh and the most important of all, processing carbon dioxide and transforming it into oxygen. It's not a surprise then, recent studies highlight that indoor plants have a direct impact on our mental health & wellness.

There are numerous reasons why having indoor plants might improve our mental health, and an unmistakable reason is they’re preferred to smell and look at. Wallpaper and carpet have a hard time competing 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 houseplant alive and the positive psychological effect it had in the caretaker. The researched showed, those who share extended periods of time around houseplants tend to have better relationships with other people and therefore experience higher levels of happiness.

best plants for your house 

Fact: Plants Help People

Additional research found that flowering plants provide elevated levels of happiness and therefore, having flowering houseplants around the house and in the workplace is likely to significantly reduce stress levels. Science is science. Studies have shown that people who spend more time around plants are much more likely to offer help to others, and often have more vibrant social relationships. It makes sense, people who care for houseplants are more likely to care for others, reaching out to their peers and forming mutual bonds resulting from their shared interests.

Plants Reduce Stress 

Natural aesthetic beauty is known to have a soothing effect, and including ornamental plants around the home is an excellent way to lower stress and anxiety. As a result of the happiness derived from a space that has plants in it, the possibility of suffering from stress-induced depression is lessened as well. Study after study supports that by having plants in your home or work place, you improve your mental health by activating peace and open spaces to your brain.

Houseplants Help You Remember Your To-Do List

Having ornamental plants in the home and office increases memory retention and concentration. How? Natural environments, and the calming influence created by them, increases a person’s ability to focus on the task at hand. Going outside or being around plants inside your home can improve memory retention close to twenty percent, a recent University of Michigan research project reported (Sewach).

Convinced yet? Great. Here are some ideas for great plants to have in your apartment:

best houseplants in apartment homes

Spider Plant

Spider plants are a very popular indoor botanicals, and your kids are going to enjoy them because , spider plant. Best. name. ever. They’re extremely easy to maintain, and spider plants are especially good at absorbing allergens or mold from the air and are great options to use in places that are prone to dampness: laundry room and bathrooms. Spider plants are pretty low maintenance and easy to care for, too. Give them with bright, indirect light and they will flourish. Water your spider plant well but do not allow it to become too soggy, which can lead to root rot. Good for the occasionally forgetful, spider plants don't mind drying out partially between waterings.

Snake Plant

A study of CO2 conversion in plants by Harvard University discovered that the snake plant is one of the most oxygen-producing plants. For those interested, ficus and pothos are two other plants included on the list. One of the greatest snake plant health benefits is it can make ongoing contribution to remove toxic air pollutants. It can do more than absorb CO too, snake plant's can absorb benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene; all of which are cancer-causing pollutants. Snake plants are some of the most tolerant plants out there as snake plants can go weeks of being forgotten without losing neither shape nor healthy look. It can thrive in environments with limited light and water. 

See any similarities with our two plants? If you have kids, we’re hopefully making it easier to get them excited! Who doesn't love plants named Spider and Snake?