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Houseplants Equal Improved Mental Health & Wellness

April 15, 2019

Houseplants near a couch

Plants are very important. It's not new news to say plants are vital to our survival. Think about it: food, construction materials, medical efforts, oh and the process of taking carbon dioxide and transforming it into clean oxygen. It will come as no surprise then, recent studies conclude that plants in our homes have a direct impact on our mental health.

There are numerous reasons why household plants might improve our mental health, and an unmistakable reason is they’re better to see and smell. Wallpaper and carpet can't compete with living things and active colors. A recent study further supports this notion in its report that there is a direct correlation between the amount of care required to keep a houseplant healthy and the positive psychological effect it had in the caretaker. The researched showed, those who have extended periods of time with plants tend to have better relationships with friends & family and therefore experience heightened levels of happiness.

best apartment home houseplants 

Fact: Plants Help People

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

Plants Help Reduce Stress 

Natural aesthetic beauty is known to have a relaxing effect, and having ornamental flowering plants around the family home is an excellent way to lower stress and anxiety. As a result of the happiness derived from a home that has plants in it, the likeliness of suffering from stress-caused depression is decreased as well. Study after study supports that by having houseplants, you improve your mental health by activating peace and open spaces to your brain.

Plants Help You Remember Your Honey To-Do List

Including ornamental houseplants 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. Being outside or being under the influence of houseplants inside your home can increase memory retention up to twenty percent, a recent University of Michigan study showed (Sewach).

Are you convinced yet? Great. Here are two examples of great plants to have in your home:

best apartment home houseplants

Spider Plant

One of the most popular indoor botanicals is the spider plant, and your kids are going to like them because umm duh, it's name, spider plant They’re super easy to care for, and spider plants are impressively great at absorbing allergens or mold from the air and are great options to use in areas that are prone to dampness: laundry room and bathrooms. Spider plants are pretty low maintenance, too. Give 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. Even better, spider plants are okay to dry out some between waterings.

Snake Plant

A study of CO2 conversion in plants by Harvard University observed that the snake plant is one of the most oxygen-producing plants. For those interested, ficus and pothos are the other plants included on the list. One of the best snake plant health benefits is snake plant's 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. It's one of the low maintenance plants out there as it 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 suggestions? If you have kid visitors, we’re hopefully making it easier to get them excited! Who doesn't love plants named Spider and Snake?