Well Being
~ some current developments and practicals
The importance of flowers and plants to well being
A research team from Texas A&M University spent 8 months measuring tasks given to people in three different office conditions, one with fresh flowers and plants, one with abstract sculptures, and one with no extra decoration at all.
They found that the generation of ideas, creative performance and problem
solving skills all improved substantially in the environment that included
plants and flowers.
A similar study was carried out by the Agricultural University of Norway,
this one concentrating more on health. There was a significant improvement
when plants were introduced into the office, symptoms decreasing by 25% over
three months.
While a Swedish study on stress found that people who look out on areas with vegetation suffer less stress than those who look out onto streets or car parks. There is a growing awareness of the importance of plants, flowers and other aspects of nature for the state of mind and emotion of people and for a sense of well being.
Plants as Purifiers
In research begun by NASA, it has been found that houseplants break down a variety of chemical compounds in the air. For example, formaldehyde is found in most houses, it is in the plywood and chipboard that is used to make much modern furniture, in carpet backing, refuse sacks. Experiments have found that up to 90% of such pollutants can be removed by specific plants and are transferred to the soil to be dealt with by microbes.
Philodendron, boston fern, english ivy, spider plants, peace lily and others, all remove high concentrations of chemicals. As well as having a selection of these plants in your home, it may be a good idea, for example, to put all these plants in a room when it has just been painted. They can help to remove the chemical residue.
