8 Reasons How Houseplants Make You Happy Proven by Science

Ralph Astley is a retired gardener from Philadelphia who specializes in outdoor plants and trees. With years of hands-on experience, Ralph not only cares for a diverse range of outdoor flora but also shares his extensive knowledge through well-written articles and social media posts. A trusted authority in arboriculture, he's committed to helping the community grow healthier, more robust gardens.
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Growing plants can put a smile on your face and will keep you emotionally joyful! Surprised? Learn all about How Houseplants Make You Happy!

How Houseplants Make You Happy
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Greenery and nature play an important role when it comes to adding positivity and calmness to our lives. And if there is one way you can bring that indoors, it is by introducing houseplants, and these houseplants can make you happy 😃; if you don’t believe this, just check out some of these amazing scientific facts we have listed below!

Here are the best positive energy plants for homes and offices 


#1. Plants Take Your Worries Away

There is no denying the fact that there is a lot of stress at workplaces, and it takes a toll on physical and mental health. According to a study, indoor plants can reduce physiological and psychological stress.

This is accomplished through the suppression of sympathetic nervous system activity and diastolic blood pressure and the promotion of comfortable, soothed, and natural feelings. It is one of the reasons why houseplants make you happy!

Plants like Peperomia, Pothos, and Philodendron, with their large and lush foliage, can induce a sense of calmness and provide psychological stability and comfort by stimulating your senses in various ways.

Plants also make a positive impact on cardiovascular changes when a person makes contact with their foliage. All this contributes to a better happiness index!


#2. Plants Make You Work Better

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According to this study done at the University of Michigan, the calming influence of plants increases a person’s ability to concentrate on the task at hand. All this results in a much more comfortable state of mind, where a person is less stressed.

Flowers also play a vital role in enhancing the overall mood of the environment and greatly reducing a person’s stress levels. In the vicinity of blooms, people feel positive, less stressed, and more relaxed. As a result of the positive energy, the chances of suffering from stress-related depression are decreased as well.

Ornamental plants affect the levels of compassion that people feel for others. They induce a positive outlook on life, making people feel more alive and active. When people experience increased vigor, they put more of themselves and their energy into their work.


#3. Plants Improve Your Mental Health

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According to a study published by Washington State University, plants contribute positively to our mental health, improve our physical health, and make our communities safer.

A report published by the Department of Horticulture Sciences, Chungnam National University, Korea, interaction with indoor plants may reduce psychological and physiological stress by suppressing autonomic nervous system activity, which brings a positive impact, keeping the person happy.

Research has shown that interior plants in individual containers can also produce the same benefits. It has demonstrated that people’s impressions of a room and their mental well-being can be significantly improved when plants are added. It also has shown that productivity and mental functioning are improved and that pain perception can be reduced.


#4. Plants Boost Positivity 

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In a study, it was reported that plants help to cut down carbon dioxide CO2, carbon monoxide (CO), concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOC), carbonyls, and particulate matter (PM) by approximately 30%.

A study also proved that by adding 6 potted plants from the ceiling in a room, the mean CO₂ concentration can be decreased from 2004 to 1121 ppm.

In addition to accumulating toxic minerals in their tissues, plants are also able to take up a range of harmful organic compounds, including some of the most abundant environmental pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), halogenated hydrocarbons (trichloroethylene, TCE), and ammunition wastes (nitroaromatics such as trinitrotoluene (TNT) and glycerol trinitrate (GTN).

According to a NASA study, indoor plants also greatly help in reducing day-to-day stress, which keeps a person calm and positive. For best results, grow plants like Pothos, Philodendron, Peace Lily, and Rubber Plants indoors.

Check out the list of houseplants for stressed-out people here


#5. Plants Make You Heal Faster and Feel Better Emotionally

A study done by The University of North Carolina states that Horticulture therapy promotes lowering blood pressure and improving memory and concentration. It also helps people struggling with severe depression, anxiety, and other mental health difficulties.

A report by The University of Minnesota states that exposure to nature and plants not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical well-being, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones.


#6. Plants Cut Down Noise Pollution

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According to the study done at the Environmental and Occupational Hazards Control Research Center, Iran, noise exposure has ill effects on cognitive performance and brain activity patterns, which can make a person unhappy in the long run.

A report published at the College of Architecture, Seoul, Korea, indoor plants play a vital role in reducing different frequency ranges.

Another study by the Journal of Environmental Health also states that there is a notable difference in noise-reducing effects for low frequency and high frequency (p < .05) when the plants are introduced and arranged differently.


#7. Plants Make You Sleep Better

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A study by the Department of Urology & Nutrition, Cleveland, states that chamomile is one of the best plants for reducing anxiety to treating hysteria, nightmares, insomnia, and other sleep problems.

A report by Shefa Neuroscience Research Center, Tehran, states that Lavender has some of the best anxiolytic, mood stabilizer, sedative, analgesic, anticonvulsive, and neuroprotective properties. Keeping lavender flowers or their fragrance in the room results in a more rapid sleep onset with a longer duration of sleep.

Lavender is also one of the best plants to reduce associated symptoms such as restlessness, disturbed sleep, and somatic complaints and has a beneficial influence on general well-being and quality of life.

On thirty-one hospitalized patients, administration of lavender fragrance from the plant showed a trend towards an improved quality of daytime wakefulness and more sustained sleep at night.


#8. How Houseplants Make You Happy?

According to a report by the Michigan State University Extension, gardening and being around plants can reduce stress and bring happiness along with mental clarity.

A growing body of research points to the beneficial effects that exposure to the natural world has on health, reducing stress, and promoting healing, which ultimately brings happiness to one’s life.

Studies have shown that time in nature — as long as people feel safe — is an antidote for stress: It can lower blood pressure and stress hormone levels, reduce nervous system arousal, enhance immune system function, increase self-esteem, reduce anxiety, and improve mood.

A report by the Washington State University also proves that interior plants could produce a calming response, making a person relaxed and happy.

So, if you always wanted to know How Houseplants Make You Happy—this is how they do it!

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