So you’ve heard the news, flower power is real. We knew it!
For most of us, flowers can often represent spring, the blooming of new life, new beginnings, and revival.
Their bright, vibrant colors and unique shapes remind us of warm air and revitalizing sunshine.
But what if it all goes even deeper than just a visual attraction?
What if these bright beauties have a scientific effect on our mood and outlook on everyday life?
If you think about it, we give flowers as a gift to portray emotion, right?
- love
- support
- sympathy
- guilt
So it would make sense if these emotion-based gifts also carried some kind of uplifting psychological power.
But how? And what flowers do we need to be flooding our houses with!?
The Facts
Psychologists have theorized that floral attraction actually emerged as an evolutionary strategy for pleasure, memory, and transcendence.
Aboutflowers.com found research from The University of North Florida Department of Public Health that discusses living with flowers and their effect on significantly reducing stress and fostering creativity.
So the question remains, do flowers influence our emotions? If so, how?
Let’s dig into it.
Time for Some Investigation
Throughout history, cultures around the world have displayed how flowers provide emotional information.
Pollen found in the graves of Neanderthals suggests that flowers played a part in burial rituals. Even then, flowers represented spiritual and religious communications such as romance, sympathy, celebration, and guilt.
Studies have shown that attraction to flowers may be directly related to positive emotion, which then leads to a positive mood. This positive mood then serves as a buffer against stress. Those who are in a positive state of mind will then also recover more quickly from the stressors in their life.
Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey tested this theory in 3 different studies.
In Study 1: Women who were presented flowers always displayed the Duchenne or “true smile,” which indicates an immediate rush of positive emotion. These women also reported happier moods 3 days later.
In Study 2: A flower given to both men and women in an elevator brought out more positive social behavior than the other stimuli used: a pen, exposure to a basket of Gerbera Daisies, and exposure to a basket of both pens and Gerbera Daisies.
In Study 3: Flowers presented to the elderly brought out positive moods as well as improved memory.
Crazy right!?
Harvard Medical School partnered with Nancy Etcoff, Ph.D. of Massachusetts General Hospital and the SAF/FPO Alliance to explore the effects of flowers in the home.
Their 4-month behavioral research study revealed that living with flowers strengthens feelings of compassion, and decreases anxiety and worry.
(Going to buy flowers, be back soon!)
The main findings of their study:
- Flowers feed compassion
- Flowers chase away anxieties and worries at home, causing people to feel less negative after being around flowers for just a few days.
- Provided a boost of energy, happiness, and enthusiasm at work
The University of North Florida’s Department of Public Health’s study entitled: The Impact of Flowers on Perceived Stress Among Women involved 170 women and required each to take a questionnaire at the beginning and end of the trial. After five days, the participants were given gifts and divided into 3 categories:
- Cut flowers
- A luxury candle
- No gift
The study revealed that the average stress reduction for women who had flowers in their home was negative 5.5 points on the study’s Perceived Stress Questionnaire at the end of the trial.
That’s pretty huge for just putting some flowers on your kitchen table!
Top Flowers to Boost Your Mood
Ok, so we’ve gotten into the nitty-gritty. We know flowers can help reduce stress and increase positivity in our lives. But which flowers do it best?
Tulip
The tranquil Tulip is a world-wide symbol of spring-time.
These happy little blooms represent new life, new beginnings, and a fresh start.
They tend to have a shorter life-span, so they are often cherished and appreciated. So it’s no surprise that their beautiful vibrant colors and soft exterior bring excitement, peace, and serenity almost immediately.
Rose
As we all know, Roses symbolize romance, love, and care. They come in all sorts of colors, shapes, and sizes, and all carry specific meanings.
A rose’s sweet fragrance and soft, silky petals are sure to bring peace and harmony to your home.
Hydrangea
I don’t know about you, but to me, Hydrangeas mean summertime baby!
Hydrangeas are used for various occasions like wedding bouquets, centerpieces, Mother’s Day, and Valentine’s Day arrangements.
They bloom in many different colors and shades from white to deep purple.
There’s no doubt in my mind these fluffy, cloud-like blossoms will bring immediate tranquility to your home.
Daffodil
Let’s face it, Daffodils just look like the sun don’t they? Their cheerful, bright yellow petals and unique, radiant blooms will brighten up anything put in their path.
Be it, your kitchen, your bedroom, your bathroom, and most importantly, you; the Daffodil is sure to lift anyone’s spirits.
Now What? Petal it Forward!
They say knowledge is power, right? Now that we know the power flowers have on our mood, outlook, and daily life, we can use this knowledge to help, not only ourselves but others as well!
The Society of American Florists said it best. They began Petal it Forward in 2015, as a movement to spread the joy that flowers bring — both when received, and when given.
Pretty easy right? Get a flower, give a flower!
That being said, let’s do it! Start spreading peace and serenity to yourself and those you love with flowers!
