Photography by Jessica Perez
For ages people have been giving flowers and getting flowers and feeling good about the whole thing.
We pick them from our gardens and arrange them in vases to adorn our homes. We prize flowers for their beauty, fragrance and colour, and for how they give life to a space by adding an extra something. We send them when a loved one is sick. We use them to express seasons, celebrations, and spirituality. Poinsettias at Christmas, marigolds at Day of the Dead celebrations, or the symbolic use of the lotus flower for spiritual awakening.
The Harvard’s Home Ecology Study of Flowers suggests flowers have more power than we realize. The study says spending only a few days with flowers in the home or at work can boost well-being and make us more compassionate.
Here’s an example of how flowers boost your mood: You wake up in the morning feeling blah and unable to have a positive thought until later in the day. It’s been proven that if you introduce a flower into your surroundings you will feel better and perk up earlier. It doesn’t have to be an expensive bouquet of roses either. A single daisy in a small vase has enough power to nudge you in a better direction.
Increase the potency of the mood-boosting effects by selecting a flower you love above all others, one that triggers a positive memory.Increase the potency of the mood-boosting effects by selecting a flower you love above all others, one that triggers a positive memory. Choose one for its scent (think aroma therapy), or one that symbolizes something you love (geraniums make me think of my Mom). Take it to the next level by paying attention to how the flowers are arranged, and to the vase.
Flowers also change our feelings for each other. Study participants who lived with fresh cut flowers for less than a week felt an increase in feelings of compassion and kindness for others.
Those allergic to flowers shouldn’t feel left out. Allergic reactions to orchids are rare because they don’t have airborne pollen.
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