Who knew house plants were such a great stress reliever?
We’ve now entered the sixth week of lockdown and truth be told, it’s not getting any easier. We’ve baked, we’ve meditated, we’ve attended online fitness classes and we’re still more stressed than ever. Turns out there’s a very simple way to ease our lockdown-induced anxiety. According to a new study, having plants around the house can greatly improve your mental wellbeing while stuck indoors.
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Under lockdown we are far less exposed to nature, parks and other green spaces that help our mental health day to day. While it is more important than ever to stay at home right now, the lack of greenery is likely to have a negative effect on our mood. Scientists at the University of Seville carried out a study looking into the emotional effects of house plants on over 4,000 individuals isolating indoors.
Professor Luis Perez-Urrestarazu said “The present study evaluated the role of having plants at home during the confinement period as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic that deprived people of freely visiting open green spaces. Our study shows that, according to the majority of participants, vegetation in indoor living spaces positively influenced their emotional well-being during the confinement period.”
Over 75% of those involved in the study claimed to feel less stressed in isolation with a few plants around the house. Similarly, those without any foliage were more likely to experience negative emotions. We all love a good decorative cactus but it might be time to invest in some more house plants to keep the lockdown stress at bay.