A recent behavioral research study conducted by Nancy Etcoff, PhD, of
Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School found people have less
worry and anxiety and feel less depressed when fresh-cut flowers are present in
the home. “Other research has proven that flowers make people happy when they
receive them” Etcoff says. “What we didn’t know
is that spending a few days with
flowers in the home can positively affect
a wide variety of feelings.”
The Home Ecology of Flowers Study at Harvard uncovered three main findings:
Flowers feed compassion
Flowers chase away anxiety, worries and the blues at home.
Living with flowers can provide a boost of energy, happiness and
enthusiasm at work.
Overall, people in the study simply felt less negative after being around
flowers at home for just a few days. “As a psychologist, I’m particularly
intrigued to find that people who lived with flowers report fewer episodes of
anxiety and depressed feelings, Etcoff says. “Our results suggest that flowers
have a positive impact on our well being.”
Dr. Etcoff expounded on the study saying” What I find interesting is that
starting the day in a more positive mood, you are likely to transfer those
happier feelings to others – it’s what we call mood contagion. Imagine how big a
difference a better morning mood can make.”
In addition to the Home Ecology of Flowers Study at Harvard, researchers at
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, released the results of their six
month behavioral study on the health effect of flowers on senior citizens. The
main findings of the study are as follows:
Flowers decrease depression
Flowers refresh recent memory
Flowers encourage companionship
“The results are significant because as our nation grows older and life
becomes more stressful we look for easy and natural ways to enhance our lives –
and the lives of our aging parents,” says Dr. Jeannette Haviland-Jones,
professor of psychology and director of the Human Development Lab at Rutgers and
lead researcher on the study. “Now one simple answer is right under our noses.”
“Instinct tells us that flowers lift our spirits, but their effect on seniors is
especially profound, if not surprising,” says Haviland-Jones.
“What’s most exciting about this study is that it challenges established
scientific beliefs about how people can manage their day-to-day moods in a
healthy and natural way. Now science shows that not only do flowers make us
happier than we know, they have strong positive effects on our emotional well
being,” says Dr. Haviland-Jones. She also points out “When it comes to receiving
flowers, men and women are on the same playing field. It seems we all express
extraordinary delight and increase our social behavior.”
Scientific Proof Of Flower
Power