

Houseplants Equal Improved Mental Health & Wellness

April 15, 2019

Houseplants near a couch

Plants are extremely important. It’s no secret plants are vital to our survival. Everything: food, building materials, natural medicine, oh and the process of processing carbon dioxide and transforming it into clean oxygen. It's not a surprise then, recent studies conclude that household plants have a direct impact on our mental health.

There are many reasons why having having household plants might improve our mood, and general consensus is they’re nicer to look at and smell. Wallpaper and carpet don’t really match living things and vibrant colors. A recent study supports this notion in its research that there is a direct correlation between the amount of care required to keep a plant alive and the positive psychological effect it had in its caretaker. We learn from the research, those who have extended periods of time in the presence of houseplants tend to have better relationships with other people and accordingly experience increased levels of happiness.

best houseplants in apartment homes 

Plants Help People...Help People

Additional research found that flowering plants provide higher levels of happiness and therefore, placing flowering houseplants around the apartment and ay work is likely to significantly lower stress levels. Science is science. Studies have shown that people who spend more time around houseplants are much more likely to help others, and tend to have more vibrant social relationships. People who care for houseplants are more likely to care for others, reaching out to their peers and forming shared bonds because of their mutual interests.

More Plants, Less Stress 

Natural aesthetic beauty is believed to have a relaxing effect, and including ornamental flowering plants around the family home is an awesome way to lower high levels of stress and anxiety. As a result of the increased happiness derived from a home that has plants in it, the possibility of suffering from stress-induced depression is reduced as well. Collective research supports that by having plants in your home or work place, you improve your mental health by inducing peace and open spaces to your brain.

Houseplants Help You Remember Your To-Do List

Including ornamental plants in the home and office increases memory retention and concentration. How? The calming influence of natural environments increases a person’s ability to fixate on the task at hand. Going outside with nature or being around plants in your house can improve memory retention close to twenty percent, a recent University of Michigan study concluded (Sewach).

Convinced? Great. Here are a couple ideas for great houseplants to have in your apartment:

best apartment home houseplants

Spider Plant

Spider plants are one of the most popular indoor botanicals, and your kids are going to enjoy them because umm duh, it's name, spider plant They’re very easy to take care of, and spider plants are especially good at absorbing mold or allergens from the air and will work wonders in places that are prone to dampness: laundry room, downstairs, and bathrooms. Spider plants are mainly low maintenance and easy to care for, too. Give them with bright, indirect light and your spider plant will love you. Water it well but do not allow it to become too soggy, which can lead to root rot. In fact, spider plants prefer to dry out partially between waterings.

Snake Plant

A study of CO2 conversion in plants by Harvard University discovered that the snake plant is one of the most oxygen-producing plants. Oh by the way, ficus and pothos are two other plants on the list. One of the greatest snake plant health benefits is the plant can make ongoing contribution to eliminate toxic air pollutants. It can do more than produce CO too, 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 go weeks of being forgotten without losing their shape and vibrantlook. It can thrive in environments with very low light and water. 

Notice anything with our two houseplants? If you have kid visitors, we’re hopefully making it easier to get them excited! Who doesn't love plants named Spider and Snake?