Houseplants and Mental Health
In the last 3 years I’ve gone from killing all plants under my care, to obsessively looking for more green friends to share my home with. I have recently thought about the caused of this shift. I like the idea of a jungle apartment full of green foliage, but there’s definitely more to my plant yearning than the pride of keeping them alive. It turns out that having these plants in my home improve my mood, my comfort levels, my sense of wellbeing, and I’m sure some of you reading this can relate.
As many of us are aware, there is a wealth of research showing that time with plants outdoors has many mental health benefits. But I wondered, is there any research on spending time with plants indoors?
We are now spending more time at home than ever. Many are working from home, we have less opportunities to travel, and socializing in person is more complicated in a pandemic. And now with winter at our doorstep, adding a plant or several to your living space may be more worth it than ever. Here are some reasons why welcoming plants into your space may be great for your mental health.
Indoor plants can reduce stress and anxiety.
Various small studies suggest indoor plants lower levels of reported stress. Research conducted in hospitals found that indoor plants resulted in lower rating of anxiety, stress, and even fatigue compared to patients in rooms without plants. One study even found that exposure to indoor foliage decreased blood pressure and increased pain tolerance.
Research on workplace indoor plants show a decrease in reported stress levels, improved attention, and an increase in job satisfaction. One survey found 97% of employees would prefer more plants in the office, as they associate plants with a sense of relaxation, relief, and motivation. It seems pretty clear that plants are not only wonderful to look at, they are good for our mental health too.
Houseplants may even support our vagus nerve.
HRV has been found to be higher in people exposed to foliage indoors. HRV, or Heart Rate Variability, is the variability or difference in time between multiple heartbeats. A more variable heartbeat suggests a more resilient and adaptable nervous system. HRV is a marker of vagal tone, the major nerve of the parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) nervous system that has so many function in the body, including slowing down your heartbeat. In other words, when our nervous system feels safe the vagus nerve acts to increase HRV and it seems as if having plants with you in a room with you could do just that, allowing our bodies and nervous systems to feel more at ease. Keep in mind this is just one small study that compared transplanting plants to computer work. But it does make a lot of sense, right?
Caring for plants can encourage mindfulness
Tending to plants can be a great exercise in mindfulness. For me, watching a new leaf sprout, or observing blossoms form inspires awe and brings me into the moment. Pruning and watering, being careful not to overwater and trying to get the amount of light just right. It’s a nice break from scrolling through instagram, answering emails, and all those other screen-time activities. This is all very new to me, at first tending to my plant friends was a chore. I’m learning from experience that the more attention I give me plants, and the more patient I am, the more their flourish and thrive.
And of course, plants look great on an instagram feed. But they can also encourage a sense of purpose and accomplishment, or be a lesson in letting go when they don’t survive. At the very least, they make me a happier human.
SOURCES
Bringslimark, T., Hartig, T., & Patil, G. (2009, Dec). The psychological benefits of indoor plants: A critical review of the experimental literature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(4), 422-433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.05.001
Hall, C, & Knuth, M. (2019, Mar). An update of the Literature Supporting the Well-Being Benefits of Plants: A Review of the Emotional and Mental Health Benefits of Plants. Journal of Environmental Horticulture, 37(1), 30-38. https://doi.org/10.24266/0738-2898-37.1.30
Husti, A.M., I. Ciobanu, R. Cicevan, I. Neacsu, and M. Cantor. 2015. Image of ornamental plants in work enviroments and their effect on employees. Agricultura 95(3-4), 3–4. http://dx.doi.org/10.15835/arspa.v95i3-4.11808
Lee, M., Lee, J., Park, B., & Miyazaki, Y. (2015, Apr). Interaction with indoor plants may reduct psychological and physiological stress by suppressing autonomic nervous system activity in young adults: a randomized crossover study. Journal of Physiological Anthropology, 43(1), 21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40101-015-0060-8
Park, S., Mattson, R. (2009, Sep). Ornamental indoor plants in hospital rooms enhanced health outcomes of patients recovering from surgery. Journal of Complementary Medicine, 15(9), 975-80. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2009.0075
Raanaas, R., Evensen, K., Rich, D., Sjøstrøm, G., & Patil, G. (2011, Mar). Benefits of indoor plants on attention capacity in an office setting. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 31(1), 99-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.11.005