Having plants in your home can have several benefits, including reducing stress and even improving your mood.
1. Stress Reduction
Researchers have found that people who attend to a plant indoors show reduced stress when compared to those performing a computer task. In other words, the act of tending to a plant might help reduce your stress and make you feel more relaxed.
Some people find gardening therapeutic, and many would like to garden but live in places where they simply cannot (such as an apartment building). Indoor plants solve this problem and allow people reap the benefits of gardening without having to have land.
2. Be Happier
Having plants indoors not only reduces stress, but seems to be able to help people feel happier, as well! Of course, if you hate having to take care of plants, you are unlikely to be happier having them in your home.
But if you are someone who enjoys plants and tending to things, you will likely enjoy the experience, which can make you feel happier overall.
3. More Productivity
It is possible that plants inside your home or workspace can increase your productivity. Multiple research studies have shown people work faster and get more done when there is a nearby plant!
So if you are struggling to focus when working from home, or in that dull office environment, maybe adding a plant or two will kick things up a notch!
4. Better Focus
Students who studied with a plant in the room were able to focus more than those without a plant in the room in one research study. Additionally, the same was not true for a fake plant. If an artificial plant was in the room, the students were not able to focus any better. Only the presence of a real plant elicited this effect.
In other words, to increase focus successfully, you need to have real, living plants around.
5. Cleaner Air
It is thought that plants might be able to help create cleaner air. However, there is debate about how true this is, and to what extent.
Even if they do not improve your air quality, they definitely have enough other benefits to make them a worthwhile addition to your home or workspace.
6. Atmosphere
You might be someone who simply loves plants. By adding them to the inside of your home, you get both the hobby of caring for plants and a nice decor.
Plants can change the overall atmosphere of your home or office. You might like to try out your interior design skills by selecting plants that you feel best create the “feel” for the room.
Important Considerations
There are tons of plants out there to choose from, so you want to select the ones that will work best for you and your situation.
For example, if you have never had a plant before, go with something beginner friendly, such as the peace lily, spider plant, or palm.
If you have any allergies, take this into consideration prior to purchasing any plants. You can go to your local stores and see many of the flowers on display. If any cause abrupt sneezing, do not buy it!
You also want to think about the temperature and light requirements of the plants. Do they need a warmer environment than your home provides? If so, can you add heat?
What about sunlight? Do you have ample room to sit plants in windowsills? If not, consider artificial light sources.
Finally, if you have any pets, look into which plants are unsafe and avoid those.
