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The Healing Power of Giving Flowers

Whether your favourite are romantic roses, contemporary lilies or colourful delphiniums, receiving a bunch of flowers is always a lovely surprise.

A burst of colour and a drenching of floral fragrance mean that every room is brightened up by a bunch of flowers, particularly when they’ve been given as a gift.

But did you know that flowers have healing properties? And not just when used in essential oils and essences. We take a closer look at the healing power of flowers and just why giving someone a bunch of blooms could mean more than you think.

Happy days

The healing power of flowersReceiving flowers can give you a warm happy feeling but you may have thought that was entirely to do with being given a floral gift.

However, research has shown that the very presence of flowers themselves can trigger an automatic response in the brain.

According to studies carried out by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, flowers can actually improve an individual’s emotional health. The results of their research revealed that the mere presence of flowers results in so-called ‘happy emotions’ with recipients describing greater satisfaction with their quality of life. In addition, social behaviour was observed to have been affected by flowers, far beyond what would have been expected.

The Professor of Psychology at the university said that the proven effects of flowers on happiness could change how people managed their mood in a more natural way.

Long term effects

The same study showed that the effects of the flowers didn’t wear off instantly, having a longer term impact on mood and happiness.

A universal instant reaction to the flowers was observed, with the same reactions across all age groups.

However, even after the initial euphoria had worn off, ongoing improvements in mood and outlook was noticed, with those suffering from conditions such as depression and anxiety reporting a lessening of their symptoms.

Men like flowers too!

Although women are more associated with being the recipient of flowers than men, further research has shown that guys have a great response to receiving a bunch of blooms, just as much as the girls.

Using men from different groups and ethnic backgrounds, researchers found that universally when given flowers, men became more receptive to social interaction, produced more genuine positive emotions and also increased their eye contact too.

The key to health

The healing power of flowersHappiness has been proven to have such a huge effect on an individual’s wellbeing, any factor which increases it without significant effort is well worth considering.

Mental health conditions such as anxiety, stress and depression all have the potential to be eased by the introduction of flowers, but physical illnesses or injuries could be aided too.

Numerous studies over the years have shown the benefits of positive thinking and feeling happy and content is at the root of this. Therefore using flowers really could help to heal a number of different problems, both physical and mental.


Many of the studies carried out showed flowers were responsible for a number of positive changes when present, such as greater levels of social interactions and for creating feelings of intimacy when displayed in a house.

However, it was their impact on the mood, and in turn, the health of individuals which was the most noticeable, with a distinct and observable change in the happiness when flowers were present.

Flowers have been one of the traditional gifts to take to an individual who has been in poor health, and now these results are available, it seems there is a good reason for this. No matter what bloom you prefer, it seems flowers really can heal when given as a gift so go on, help those you love feel better!


Image Credits: Sue1454 and Art4 the Glry of God