The Science Behind How Flowers Make Us Feel

 

Do you feel joy when you are surrounded by flowers and plants? That’s normal! There have been plenty of studies exploring how and why flowers make us feel happy, so we’ve collated some of these studies into this article for your benefit. These findings may also be important for your workplace, especially if you work in hospitality.

10 Months of Research

ten-month study, titled An Environmental Approach to Positive Emotion: Flowers (2005), considered participants’ behavioural and emotional responses to receiving flowers. Unsurprisingly, the results confirmed that flowers are great for moderating moods. In all age groups, participants were happy to receive the flowers, and this didn’t only occur for the initial gift-giving; the study also recorded that the participants were less depressed or anxious for three days afterwards, too.

Let’s think about the effects that this could have on the hospitality industry; keeping flowers present in lobby areas will help to reduce visitor’s stresses if the above research is to be believed. This can be useful in hospitals and hotels alike.

Hospitals

Health care sector providers that allow flowers help to bring peace and calm to their visitors, many of whom will be struggling with high levels of stress. Whilst we don’t expect that the presence of flowers can completely negate the worries that accompany an illness, flowers may make long periods in waiting rooms a little more bearable and accommodating on a subconscious level.

Flowers are considered a luxury when given as gifts, but their inherent therapeutic qualities suggest that they should be a necessity for comfort in stressful environments.

Hotels

Hotel lobbies also benefit from the natural reassurance provided by flowers. A visitor’s arrival at a hotel should be stress-free and happy, and the presence of flowers enhances both of these feelings, and also improves the perception of value and luxury.

Keeping flowers on the main desk may help with handling any difficulties the guest is experiencing by creating a calming atmosphere. As Dr Haviland-Jones lead researcher of this study, stated:

“Flowers bring about positive emotional feelings in those who enter a room. They make the space more welcoming and create a sharing atmosphere.’

At Planteria we offer posy flower arrangements and flowers for restaurants to help make your hotel, bar, or restaurant the best it can be.

 

Offices

Another place where managers should consider hospitality is in their offices; your staff need some care and attention too! An office decorated with natural elements (also known as biophilic design) is more likely to be a healthier and happier office. Understandably, this also correlates with higher levels of productivity which you can read about in our blog: plants in the office make you 15% more productive. If you’re interested in flowers for offices, please get in touch with us.

More Research…

Dr Hamilton-Jones’ study with Rutgers University also found that 88% of people reported that the act of giving the flowers themselves also made them feel happier. This means that flowers have positive effects for all those involved.

By this notion, flowers make the perfect gift solutions with benefits for the giver and the receiver, what’s more you can’t get the wrong size, or offend anyone by getting an inappropriate gift (wine for someone you did not know was tee-total for example). We supply gift bouquets , to make it simple and straightforward to say thank you, happy birthday, seasons greetings or for any other occasion you can think of. In the Rutgers University study, it was found that participants who received flowers were more likely to answer positively to social support questions (contacting people, talking intimately).

Flowers and Human Evolution

One of the ideas explored by Dr Hamilton-Jones is the idea that flowers have evolved to be seen as rewarding by humans to help with their own survival:

 “Just as other plants have evolved to induce varying behavioural responses in a wide variety of species leading to the dispersal or propagation of the plants.

This may be a side-effect, however. Birds and bees are animals which are both very important for the survival of many plants and flowers in the wild, and both species see in colour vision. This means that flowers with bright colours are more likely to stand out to birds and bees, thus ensuring their propagation.

Humans can also see in colour which makes flowers very attractive to us, too. This may mean that our enjoyment of flowers is a result of our shared colour-vision with birds and bees. On the other hand, it is also speculated that the bright colours of blooms signal bountiful harvests, which humans are also likely to take enjoyment from. The two factors could have become historically linked, and now trigger an evolutionary response of happiness in humans worldwide upon receiving flowers.

Give A Bouquet this Christmas

Flowers and natural bright colours can be hard to find during the winter, which is why giving the gift of flowers will be especially effective during the Christmas period. You may even want to gift some to yourself to reward your own efforts over the past year. We can supply you with beautiful gift bouquets, colleagues, family, or for your yourself, as well as regular weekly flowers for your office space.

We know that flowers have so much to offer businesses, offices, hotels and clinics, and we can help deliver their benefits to your location. Our professionally trained florists work magic with fresh flowers to ensure you are delighted.  Get in touch so we can help you too.

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT US

 


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Top Tips for an Office Make-Over

 

FUNCTIONAL FITTINGS

Interior design trends for 2020 are all about functional fittings. In the home, this translates to tidy rooms with pull-out furniture like sofa-beds, futons and extending tables. In the office, this translates to adjustable desks, so you can work sitting or standing, laptops for work away from headquarters and partitions for privacy between teams.

When brainstorming ideas for your office make-over, a good place to start is by improving what you already have.  For example, if you make use of basic office partitions between desks, why not use desk plants instead? Office plants have been proven to boost productivity and creativity, so doing something as simple as swapping out your partitions for greenery could see an increase in your returns down the line.

Adding office plants to your workspace is a magnificent way to transform it into a desirable place to work. Eco-themes are the future; they are an easy and affordable way to instantly upgrade an area and with a huge variety of plants to choose from they will have a unique feel.

 

It might seem obvious to some, but making sure that office supplies and useful items are in a designated and central location can save employees a lot of time, especially when inducting new employees, to whom the office is a strange new place. When rearranging your office, it’s a good idea to try to avoid moving these key supplies so that your workers can stay orientated.

STAFF PERKS

Think about why you are engaging in an office make-over; if you are doing it to impress clients, then you want something stunning, but if you are hoping to increase work quality and output amongst your staff, then you might be more interested in adding some facilities that they will surely appreciate.

Perhaps you can improve on the simple staff kettle that most (if not all) businesses have somewhere on their premises. The point of tea breaks – from an employer’s perspective – is to encourage organic team building opportunities.  You can further improve the relationships between your staff by providing them with access to gym facilities or making use of outdoor spaces to create a roof terrace, or courtyard with cafe style seating. We all recognise the benefits of encouraging a cohesive team that supports itself.  If you already provide these facilities to your staff, it’s always good to rethink how your staff are using the facilities. An influx of new employees might mean that the facilities you provide aren’t as relevant as they were before.

 

ADD A DASH OF COLOUR

Is your office exciting enough?  Take an objective look about.

Is it a generic space with white walls and a grey carpet? Being bold and adding some striking colour to a few feature walls, or areas of the office space will give your office a fresh new feel.  You could strengthen your brand identity by using a palette in your brand colours. Accent colours used in planters, soft furnishings and artwork will give the new scheme a pulled-together cohesive look.

Colour is a visual experience and actually has a subconscious effect on the brain.  Colour in the workplace has an effect on productivity, mood and emotion.  Warm colours like reds and oranges are known to raise energy levels and improve dynamism. Cool colours like blues and greens are shown to create a calming effect and improve critical thinking.Repainting your office and changing up the colours from time to time will ensure the office always looks fresh and clean and your colleagues will appreciate the effort that you put into providing them with a beautiful place to work in.

 

GREAT LIGHTING

Above all else, if you are going to be making improvements to your office, you should always consider the effects of your lighting.

We doubt that you’re submitting your staff to dodgy fluorescent lights that blinks on and off, but any inadequate lighting is unhelpful and could be costing your employees in new glasses prescriptions. We recommend offices with lots of natural light, but if you can’t remedy being in a dim office with very few windows, you can always supplement the existing natural light by adding mirrors to carry the light further by reflecting it. As well as prioritising sources of natural light, you should use lamps and high-quality light bulbs to make sure that your office shines.

 

The perfect office is possible; all you need are plants, perks, a touch of colour and some great lighting. We are more than happy to provide you with the plants, planters in every hue, and take care of them for you too.  To give your office a boost that outstrips your competitors, get in touch.


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CO2 Levels in Offices Are ‘Damaging UK Productivity’

Mixed planting in black planters

Competitiveness and productivity in the workplace are of paramount importance, with more emphasis on this than ever as the outcome of Brexit looms on the horizon. Research shows that the UK is lagging behind in the productivity tables, currently 26.2% lower than Germany and 22.8% lower than France based on GDP per hour worked. Whilst solving the productivity puzzle is an ongoing issue, a recent study into UK indoor office environments has considered environmental factors for the first time.

This headline-grabbing study found that employee performance declines when CO2 levels are high and also creates the impression of a stuffy office environment among many workers. With businesses wanting to boost their productivity, understanding how carbon dioxide impacts your employees’ work life is crucial.

As we look for solutions to this problem, one simple thing to consider is the inclusion of beautiful, lush plants.  These are not just something that is nice to look at – though biophilia tells us we love the sight of living things and crave to be in contact with the natural world – they’re also effective for purifying and oxygenating the air.

The Study

The research commissioned by Emcor, was carried out over a two-year initiative led by academics at Oxford Brookes University and LCMB Building Performance, and supported by Innovate UK, a government agency which aims to boost economic innovation. Several workplaces were tested over a period of two years, with sensors monitoring fluctuating CO2 levels during this time. Employees were sent numeral, proofreading and Stroop tests three times a day to complete. Read the full study here.

The results of the study corroborate the idea that the more carbon dioxide there is in the air, the lower the productivity. Employees worked 60% faster with lower levels of carbon dioxide and their test scores improved by up to 12%.

Sanseviera in red container and ivy plants in an office

The Importance of Oxygen in the Office

Poorly ventilated offices can have an average carbon dioxide level of 1000 ppm (or parts per million). In some meeting rooms, this can go up to 3000 ppm, as many people use them, and they’re often sealed, smaller environments. To put these figures into perspective, keep in mind that our outdoor environment tends to have a COconcentration of 405 ppm.

But how exactly can high levels of carbon dioxide impact your office? An increased intake of CO2 can actually lead to poor decision-making, and thinking processes this means that people’s mental capacity decreases. Reaction times are also slower, so employees may find it challenging to react properly and swiftly to things such as a fire evacuation or even simple, everyday tasks. CO2 tends to increase tiredness as well, meaning your employees will not be at their best and find it harder to cope with workloads and stresses. All of this contributes to a low-productivity environment.

Oxygen is fundamental for the optimal functioning of our bodies. Our cells use both glucose and oxygen, and brain function quickly declines when we don’t take in enough oxygen.  It is commonplace that office windows are sealed, and not able to be opened, this is often for safety and security reasons as much as to prevent impairment of AC efficiency.  And, as air pollution increases, it doesn’t come as a surprise that many offices across the nation suffer from lower percentages of oxygen and higher CO2 in the air.

To compound this problem further, UK office workers only spend an average of fifteen minutes outside in addition to their daily commute, so they are not exposed to much time in ‘fresh’ air, getting much-needed oxygen, on a daily basis.

Best Oxygen-Producing Plants for the Office

How can you get more oxygen into your office?  One simple solution is to add oxygen-producing and air-cleaning plants into the workspace. Plants are ideal for increasing air quality and nurturing the health and well-being of your employees. The following are just a few of the best indoor plants for boosting productivity in your office:

Areca Palm

This beautiful plant stands out for its ability to remove dangerous chemicals such as formaldehyde, xylene and toluene from the air, resulting in a purer office environment. Studies show that if you were to add four shoulder-height Areca palms per person to your office, and assuming the space was completely sealed off from the outside, everyone would still have enough oxygen to survive on during the day.

Areca Palm in Blue Pot

Snake Plant

Also called Mother-In-Law’s Tongue, this plant is highly efficient in transforming CO2 into oxygen at night. It also has the fantastic ability to purify the air by removing substances like benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, toluene and trichloroethylene. So, not only would your employees benefit from more oxygen, but the air would also be cleaner.

Peace Lily

Another plant that is perfect for cleaning the air is the Peace Lily. This species flourishes best in the shade, making it ideal for indoor environments, including your office. They’re also low maintenance, needing to be watered only once per week. You should never let the soil dry out and must use only chlorine-free water but, apart from that, this is an incredibly easy plant to take care of – perfect for a busy office. Peace lilies also remove acetone, ammonia, benzene and other harmful substances from the air.

The benefits of having several of these plants in the office are better air quality and beautiful flowers, as the peace lily blooms periodically.

There are many other office plants that will perfectly complement your workspace and elevate your current décor. If you’re looking to grow your productivity, make sure your employees can work in an environment with clean air. Our plants don’t just look great, they will also improve the air quality of your office, boosting your employees’ productivity. Have a look at how our beautiful plants can transform an office space by browsing through our case studies.

Contact us  today to get a free plant design and quotation.


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