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Studies Show Houseplants Improve Your Mental Health & Wellness

April 15, 2019

Houseplants near a couch

Plants are extremely important. It's not new news to say plants are imperative to our survival. Let's exam: food, buildings, medical efforts, oh and the most important of all, taking carbon dioxide and transforming it into oxygen. It's not a surprise then, recent studies conclude that plants in our homes have a direct impact on our mental health & wellness.

There are numerous reasons why indoor plants might improve our mental health, and the most obvious is they’re nicer to smell and look at. Wallpaper and carpet have a hard time competing with living things and active colors. A recent study further supports this notion in its research that there is a direct correlation between the amount of care required to keep a plant healthy and the positive psychological effect it had in the caretaker. The researched showed, those who spend extended periods of time around houseplants tend to have healthier relationships with other people and therefore experience increased levels of happiness.

best apartment home houseplants 

Plants Help People, Help People

A separate study found that flowering plants provide increased levels of happiness and therefore, having flowering houseplants around the apartment and ay work has the potential to significantly minimize stress levels. Science is science. Studies have shown that people who are around more houseplants are significantly more likely to try and help others, and tend to have more advanced social relationships. It makes sense, people who care for plants & animals are more likely to care for others, reaching out to their peers and creating strong bonds because of their mutual interests.

More Plants, Less Stress 

Natural aesthetic beauty can have a relaxing effect, and including ornamental houseplants around the apartment home is an excellent way to decrease stress and anxiety. As a result of the happiness derived from a 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 producing peace and open spaces to your brain.

Plants Help You Remember Your Honey To-Do List

Keeping ornamental plants in the home improves memory retention and concentration. How? The calming influence of natural environments increases a person’s ability to concentrate on the task at hand. Going outside with nature or being around plants inside your home can increase memory retention close to twenty percent, a recent University of Michigan research project showed (Sewach).

Are you convinced yet? Great. Here are a couple examples of ideas for great houseplants to have in your apartment:

best plants for your house

Spider Plant

Spider plants are a very popular indoor botanicals, and your friends are going to love them because it has a cool name, spider plant They’re very easy to care for, and spider plants are especially good at absorbing mold or allergens from the air and can be put to good use in places that are prone to dampness: laundry room, downstairs, and bathrooms. Spider plants are pretty easy to care for, too. Provide them with bright, indirect light and they will flourish. Water it well but do not allow it to become too soggy, which can lead to root rot. In fact, spider plants don't mind drying 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 most oxygen-producing plants. For those interested, ficus and pothos are other plants on the list. One of the best snake plant health benefits is the plant can make small contribution to eliminate toxic air pollutants. It can do more than absorb CO too, they can absorb benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene; all of which are cancer-causing pollutants. It's one of the low maintenance plants out there as they can live-through weeks of neglect without losing neither shape nor healthy look. They can thrive in environments with minimal light and water. 

Notice a trend with our two plants? If you have kids, we’re hoping it will help it easier to get them excited! Who doesn't love plants named Spider and Snake?