Studies Show Houseplants Improve Your Mental Health & Wellness

Plants are pretty important. It's not new news to say plants are vital to our survival. Think about it: food, buildings, natural medicine, oh and the most important of all, the process of taking carbon dioxide and transforming it into co2. It's no surprise then, recent studies highlight that household plants have a direct impact on our mental health.

There are numerous reasons why having household plants might improve our mood, and general consensus 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 supports this notion in its report that there is a direct correlation between the amount of care required to keep a houseplant healthy and the positive psychological effect it had in the caretaker. According to the research, those who share extended periods of time with houseplants tend to have stronger relationships with others and therefore experience higher levels of happiness.

Fact: Plants Help People

A separate study found that flowering plants provide increased levels of happiness and therefore, placing flowering houseplants around the house and in the workplace has the potential to significantly minimize stress levels. Science is science. Studies have shown that people who spend more time around plants are much more likely to help others, and tend to have more vibrant social relationships. It makes sense, people who care for plants are more likely to care for others, reaching out to their peers and building mutual bonds because of their shared interests.

More Plants, Less Stress 

Natural aesthetic beauty is believed to have a soothing effect, and having ornamental plants around the family home is an excellent way to decrease stress and anxiety. As a result of the happiness derived from a space that has plants in it, the likelihood of suffering from stress-related depression is decreased as well. The research 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

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

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

Spider Plant

Spider plants are one of the most popular indoor botanicals, and your kids are going to enjoy them because it has a cool name, spider plant They’re extremely easy to take care of, and spider plants are especially good at absorbing mold and allergens 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 and easy to care for, too. Provide 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. In fact, spider plants prefer to dry out some between waterings.

Snake Plant

A study of CO2 conversion in plants by Harvard University discovered that the snake plant is one of the highest oxygen-producing plants. Oh—by the way, ficus and pothos are the other plants that made the list. One of the greatest snake plant health benefits is snake plant's can make ongoing contribution to remove toxic air pollutants. Outside of CO2, snake plant's can absorb benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene; all of which are cancer-causing pollutants. Snake plants are some of the easiest to care for plants out there as snake plants can withstand weeks of neglect without losing neither shape nor healthy and vibrant look. Snake plants can thrive in environments with limited light and water. 

See any similarities 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?