Here’s Why You Should Add Fresh Flowers to Your Grocery List
Updated: Jun. 19, 2022
It might be the key to your happiness. You don't even have to wait for a special someone to bring you a bouquet!
Flowers are such a good deal at Trader Joe’s that it kinda seems wrong not to pick up a bunch when we’re shopping. But scientists at the University of North Florida (UNF) have given us one more reason to scoop up some stems. In a recent study, they discovered that having fresh flowers around not only improves our moods but also significantly lowers our stress levels.
What is the “fresh flowers study”?
For the study, 170 women (ages 18 to 65 years) completed a survey monitoring their stress levels every day for 12 days. Halfway through the 12 days, one-third of the women were sent a delivery of flowers, one-third were sent a candle of equal value to the flowers and one-third weren’t sent anything (sad-face emoji). The researchers discovered that women who’d received the flowers had a significant reduction in stress levels compared to other women in the study. The women who received flowers also reported that the flowers improved their mood.
It turns out the simple act of bringing a bouquet home is enough to make you happy!
“Our findings are important from a public health perspective because adding flowers to reduce stress does not require tremendous effort to generate a meaningful effect,” explains lead researcher Erin Largo-Wight, Ph.D.
We asked floral experts for their best flower arranging tips and tricks.
Amazing! But why flowers?
Flowers provide the opportunity for contact with nature, which science has already proven is good for us. (Just another reason to grow that herb garden.) Sure, candles or chocolates make a nice gift, but they don’t offer the same connection with the outdoors. The findings from this study complement other research that shows how flowers can strengthen feelings of compassion, provide an energy boost and even foster creativity.
