Flowers and Happiness

flowers & Happiness How Flowers Impact Emotions For over 5,000 years, human beings have cultivated flowers for their beauty, scent, and ceremonial importance. Why are we so drawn to colorful, fragrant blossoms? Learn more about the surprising effects of flowers on overall well-being. Color and Scent: Keys to Floral Appeal Color and scent play a major role in sensory perception, and have surprising effects on human emotions and cognition: The color red improves performance on detail-oriented tasks Associated with caution and avoidance By contrast, blue enhances creative thinking Associated with peace and openness Least pleasing hues: Yellow, yellow-green Most pleasing hues: Blue, blue-green, green, red-purple, purple Many studies show links between pleasant scents and improved mood The fragrance of blooming plants increases calmness and alertness, and enhances mood A Blossom a Day... Flowers can directly impact emotional well-being, productivity, and even memory According to studies from Harvard and Rutgers, people receiving flowers in their homes showed: Increased signs of happiness 100% of flower recipients showed a genuine, or Duchenne, smile Participants were 12% more productive with plants in the workplace Decreased feelings of anxiety and negativity Increased feelings of compassion and kindness towards others in less than a week 81% More enthusiasm and of participants receiving two bouquets had lower depression scores energy in the workplace Compared to: 57% of those receiving no flowers Improved memory performance (among seniors) 72% of seniors receiving flowers showed improvement on memory tasks The Floral Market In 2011, U.S. consumers spent $32.1 billion on floriculture (flowers, plants, and related products) Holidays account for most floriculture sales The top five holidays for floral and plant purchases For purchases of fresh flowers, Valentine's Day ranks first, with 36% of holiday sales 20% Valentine's Day 6% 30% Thanksgiving Christmas/Hannukah 13% Easter/Passover 24% Mother's Day U.S. spending on roses alone reached An estimated $2.5 billion in 2011 224 million roses were produced for Valentine's Day 2012 Say It With Flowers! During the Victorian era, every flower held a special meaning, allowing people to share secret information through their bouquets. Tulips undying love (red) or unrequited love (yellow) Roses friendship (yellow), true love (red), virtue (white) Daisies innocence, purity, simplicity Lilies purity, sweetness, trust Carnation love (red), and unrequited love (striped). Learn the symbolic meanings behind some of America's most popular flowers, and make sure you are sending the right message! http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/science/06color.html?_r=0 http://www.sciencemag.org/content/323/5918/1226.abstract http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/xge/123/4/394/ http://chemse.oxfordjournals.org/content/33/5/441.full http://public.wsu.edu/-lohr/hih/productivity/ http://www.aboutflowers.com/health-benefits-a-research/flowers-a-seniors-study.html http://www.epjournal.net/wp-content/uploads/ep03104132.pdf http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-harvard-study-investigates-the-home-ecology-of-flowers-56623617.html http://www.aboutflowers.com/flower-holidays-occasions-a-parties/flowers-for-valentines/valentines-day-statistics.html http://www.aboutflowers.com/flower-holidays-occasions-a-parties/mothers-day/mothers-day-statistitcs.html http://www.safnow.org/statistics-floriculture-industry-overview http://www.h2g2.com/approved_entry/A5268035 http://www.pioneerthinking.com/home/weddings/floral/flowerlanguage.html http://www.safnow.org/statistics-floriculture-industry-overview http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/05/03/top-selling-flowers.html#slide13