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Houseplants Equal Improved Mental Health & Wellness

April 15, 2019

Houseplants near a couch

Plants are very important. News flash: plants are imperative to our survival. Everything: food, construction materials, medical efforts, oh and that whole the process of taking carbon dioxide and transforming it into clean oxygen. It will come as no surprise then, recent studies conclude that household plants have a direct impact on our mental health.

There are a number of reasons why having indoor plants might improve our happiness, and general consensus is they’re better to look at and smell. Wallpaper and carpet don’t really match living things and floral colors. A recent study further supports this notion in its findings 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 houseplant's caretaker. The researched showed, those who share extended periods of time around houseplants tend to have stronger relationships with friends & family and accordingly experience higher levels of happiness.

best plants for your house 

Fact: Plants Help People

Another study found that flowering plants provide increased levels of happiness and therefore, keeping flowering houseplants around the home and ay work potentially could significantly reduce stress levels. Science is science. Studies have shown that people who spend more time around houseplants are almost always more likely to help others, and often have more vibrant social relationships. People who care for nature are more likely to care for others, reaching out to their peers and building shared bonds resulting from their common interests.

More Plants, Less Stress 

Natural aesthetic beauty is believed to have a calming effect, and including ornamental plants around the home is an awesome way to lower stress and anxiety. As a result of the increased happiness derived from a home or work space that has plants in it, the likelihood of suffering from stress-related depression is decreased as well. The research supports that by having houseplants, you improve your mental health by producing peace and open spaces to your brain.

Plants Help You Remember Your To-Do List

Having ornamental houseplants in the home increases memory retention and concentration. How? The calming influence of natural environments increases a person’s ability to concentrate on the task at hand. Being outside or being around houseplants in your house can boost memory retention up to twenty percent, a recent University of Michigan study reported (Sewach).

Convinced yet? Great. Here are two examples of great plants to have in your apartment home:

best apartment home houseplants

Spider Plant

Spider plants are one of the most popular indoor botanicals, and your friends are going to like them because it has a cool name, spider plant They’re very easy to take care of, and spider plants are impressively great at absorbing mold and allergens from the air and are great options to use in areas that are prone to dampness: laundry room and bathrooms. Spider plants are mainly easy to care for, too. Provide them with bright, indirect light and it will flourish. Water the houseplant well but do not water it too much to the point of it becoming soggy, which can lead to root rot. Even better, spider plants don't mind drying out partially between waterings.

Snake Plant

A study of CO2 conversion in plants by Harvard University observed that the snake plant is one of the greatest oxygen-producing houseplants. In case you're interested, ficus and pothos are the other plants that made the list. One of the best snake plant health benefits is the plant can make small and ongoing contribution to eliminate toxic air pollutants. It can do more than absorb CO too, snake plant's can absorb benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene; all of which are cancer-causing pollutants. The snake plant is one of the easiest to care for plants out there as they can go weeks of being forgotten without losing neither shape nor healthy look. It can thrive in environments with very low light and water. 

Notice anything with our two houseplants? If you have kids, we’re hoping it will help it easier to get them excited! Who gets Spider and who gets Snake?