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Harvard
Study Investigates
the Home Ecology of Flowers
Behavioral
Research Concludes: Living with Flowers Strengthens Feelings of
Compassion, and Decreases Anxiety and Worry
 With
people’s desire for tranquility and stress relief stronger
than ever, fresh research takes an insightful look at flowers and
the important role they may play in our daily lives. A behavioral
research study conducted by Nancy Etcoff, Ph.D., of Massachusetts
General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, reveals that people
feel more compassionate toward others, have less worry and anxiety,
and feel less depressed when fresh cut flowers are present in the
home.
“Other
research has proven that flowers make people happy when they receive
them,” Etcoff says. “What we didn’t know is that
spending a few days with flowers in the home can affect a wide variety
of feelings.”
The
Home Ecology of Flowers Study at Harvard uncovered three main findings:
- Flowers
feed compassion.
Study participants who lived with fresh cut flowers for less than
a week felt an increase in feelings of compassion and kindness
for others.
- Flowers
chase away anxieties, worries and the blues at home.
Overall, people in the study simply felt less negative after being
around flowers at home for just a few days.
Participants
most frequently placed flowers in their kitchens, dining rooms
and living rooms, where they spend a lot of time at home. They
reported wanting to see the blooms first thing in the morning.
- Living
with flowers can provide a boost of energy, happiness and enthusiasm
at work.
Having flowers at home can have a positive carry-over impact on
our mood at work, too. The study found that people were more likely
to feel happier and have more enthusiasm and energy at work when
flowers were in their home living environments.
“As
a psychologist, I’m particularly intrigued to find that people
who live with flowers report fewer episodes of anxiety and depressed
feelings,” Etcoff says. “Our results suggest that flowers
have a positive impact on our well being.”
Click
here for tips on how to create a home ecology.
Editor’s
Note: High-resolution professional photography is available.
Contact Jenny Stromann at (800) 336-4743; jstromann@safnow.org.
The
Home Ecology of Flowers Research Methodology
Nancy
Etcoff, Ph.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical
School and her research team investigated the effects of flowers
in the home environment on well being. Fifty-four people, ages 25-60,
were studied using a series of self-report measures allowing the
research team to know where the person was, with whom and what they
were doing when they experienced an emotion, both when flowers were
and were not present. Half of the participants received a “control”
home décor item, other than flowers, to ensure study validity.
After living with either flowers or the control intervention for
approximately one week, participants rated their feelings during
specific periods of the day, recording emotions during each episode.
The research team also took photographs before and after flowers
were delivered to determine any changes in use or appearance of
the room.
About
Dr. Nancy Etcoff
Dr.
Nancy Etcoff is a faculty member of the Harvard Medical School and
the Harvard University Mind/Brain/Behavior Initiative and a practicing
psychologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of
Psychiatry where she is the Director of the Program in Aesthetics
and Well Being. At Harvard, she currently teaches a course entitled
“The Science of Happiness.”
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