Houseplants Equal Improved Mental Health & Wellness

Plants are pretty important. It's not new news to say plants are vital to our survival. Everything: food, construction materials, natural medicine, oh and the most important of all, the process of taking carbon dioxide and transforming it into clean oxygen. It will come as no surprise then, recent studies highlight that indoor plants have a direct impact on our wellness.

There are a number of reasons why indoor plants might improve our mental health, and the most obvious is they’re better to smell and look at. Wallpaper and carpet have a hard time competing with living things and floral colors. A recent study supports this notion in its research that there is a direct correlation between the amount of care required to keep a plant alive and the positive psychological effect it had in the caretaker. We learn from the research, those who share extended periods of time in the presence of plants tend to have better relationships with others and therefore experience heightened levels of happiness.

Plants Help People...Help People

Additional research found that flowering plants provide elevated levels of happiness and therefore, keeping flowering plants around the apartment home and in the workplace potentially could significantly reduce stress levels. Science is science. Studies have shown that people who spend more time around plants are much more likely to try and help others, and tend to have more vibrant social relationships. The logic computes, people who care for plants are more likely to care for others, reaching out to their peers and creating strong bonds out of their common interests.

Plants Reduce Stress 

Natural aesthetic beauty can have a calming effect, and including ornamental flowering plants around the home is an awesome way to decrease stress and anxiety. As a result of the increased happiness derived from a home or work space that has plants in it, the possibility of suffering from stress-induced depression is lessened as well. The research supports that by having plants in your house, you improve your mental health by inducing peace and open spaces to your brain.

Houseplants Help You Remember Your Honey To-Do List

Having ornamental houseplants in the home and office boosts 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 with nature or being under the influence of plants inside can boost memory retention close to twenty percent, a recent University of Michigan study reported (Sewach).

Are you convinced yet? Great. Here are some ideas for great houseplants to have in your home:

Spider Plant

One of the most popular indoor botanicals is the spider plant, and your family is going to love them because umm duh, it's name, spider plant They’re super easy to maintain, and spider plants are very good at absorbing allergens or mold from the air and are great options to use in places that are prone to dampness: laundry room, downstairs, and bathrooms. Spider plants are mainly low maintenance, too. Offer them with bright, indirect light and your spider plant will love you. Water the houseplant 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 houseplants by Harvard University found that the snake plant is one of the highest oxygen-producing houseplants. In case you're interested, ficus and pothos are other plants included on the list. One of the greatest snake plant health benefits is the plant can make small and ongoing contribution to eliminate toxic air pollutants. Other than CO2, 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 they can live-through weeks of neglect without losing neither shape nor healthy look. They 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 gets Spider and who gets Snake?