Flowers really do make us happy!
. . . and improve our lives, among other things.
You and I know how much we love flowers, but did you know there have been studies that support this too?
Here are a few things the studies reveal:
Women who received flowers consistently displayed genuine (“Duchenne”) smiles immediately and reported higher positive mood three days later compared to before receiving flowers.
Giving a flower to a stranger in an elevator led to more social behavior and positive interaction than giving other items.
Older adults who received flowers reported improved mood and memory outcomes compared to controls.
Just viewing fresh flowers can measurably increase relaxation responses and improve mood in a typical work environment.
In an exploratory study, participants in rooms with flower displays judged pictures of people more positively than participants in rooms without flowers.
So, now we can all feel a little better about enjoying fresh flowers in our homes and offices and giving them to friends and family! Isn’t it amazing how something as simple as a vase of fresh flowers can make the world a little better! I’m so happy to be part of something that has the ability to make people genuinely smile, improve their mood, enhance social interactions, relax, and have a more positive view of the world around them.
As a flower farmer, this may be a bit self-serving, but I think it is important that we all enjoy more fresh flowers . . . and give flowers to those we know and love (and maybe even a stranger an elevator)!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy your day!
The studies include: (1 - 3) Haviland-Jones, Jeannette & Hale, Holly & Wilson, Patricia & Mcguire, Terry. (2005). An Environmental Approach to Positive Emotion: Flowers. Evolutionary Psychology. 3. 10.1177/147470490500300109. (4) https://doi.org/10.1186/1880-6805-33-6 (5) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0950329316301173