The Psychological Effects of Plants
We all know that office plants can improve the appearance of a workplace, but were you aware that plants can also have positive effects on our brains?
Laboratory tests have discovered that plants can offer serious psychological benefits to those in regular contact with them. According to an academic journal found in HortScience, they can reduce levels of stress, increase task performance and improve symptoms of illness. It has also been proven by a study carried out by Dr Tove Fjeld that plants can significantly reduce fatigue, sore throats coughs and other cold-related ailments in workers. However, in addition to helping us physically, the studies also found that indoor plants could improve concentration, happiness and stress levels.
We humans intuitively associate plants and any form of greenery with calmness and tranquillity and its hard to argue with the scientific facts that back up these claims. The relaxing atmosphere plants exude has been shown to influence memory and accuracy at work and further research suggested that for many of us who sit at a computer for four than four hours a day, a houseplant placed nearby could significantly improve our productivity. During this experiment, full-time employees also stated they felt more able to work with the plants in their eye-line and had noticed a reduction in flu-like symptoms.