When it comes time to decorate your home, the ideas may come flooding into your mind. From paint colors and photos placed on the walls, to area rugs and window treatments, there are items available for every style and taste. The one thing that many people forget to add might be the very thing that can improve our homes and lives the most!
Many people can picture that one friend who is a total plantaholic and adorns their kitchen with recycled mason jars filled with planted aloe vera. Some may even have that one relative who insists on tending to the potted plant in their kitchen "because it's been in the family for generations."
But what is the purpose of adding plants to your home?
Cognitive Functioning
The benefits of having plants in your house go beyond the popularized ~zen aesthetic~ that many homeowners strive for these days. In fact, a person's interaction with plants positively affects their cognitive functioning.
A study based out of Japan placed participants in three rooms: a room with a plant, a room with a magazine rack, and a room without either. The study revealed that participants in the room with the plant were able to complete the given task much quicker than those in the other two rooms. This speaks to the scientifically-proven superpower that houseplants can improve your productivity and also improve your attention span. Talk about some mental encourage-mint!
Mood Booster
As Henry David Thoreau once said, "All good things are wild and free." So why not bring that wild and free energy into your home in the form of a Ponytail Palm?
Plants are huge mood boosters and can help you cope with psychological stressors like seasonal depression. In fact, plants are kind of like miniature happiness diffusers. The more time you spend around plants, the more relaxed and comfortable you feel.
Instead of being a green-eyed monster, channel those feelings into your green thumb! Not feeling up to the task? Good Housekeeping is here to help with 30 Indoor Plants That Are Almost Impossible to Kill. You don't have to be a succulent savant to know that plants make you feel good.
Air Purifier
In your home, you should be able to rest easy, which means you should be able to breathe easy. The more plants you have in your home the better quality your air will be. In addition to converting carbon dioxide into fresh oxygen, they remove toxins from the air. What's even better is, it is not only those gorgeous green leaves that help with purification. The microorganisms found in soil also help clean the air we breath.
It's no surprise that the average American spends around 90% of their day-to-day life inside. Most shocking, however, is the fact that some strains of indoor pollutants can be up to five times more potent than outdoor strains of pollutants.
So what can we, innocent homeowners, do to combat the evil forces of synthetic household materials and pesticides? It's simple. Bring in a houseplant. Not only will they add beauty to your home, but according to a recent NASA study, typical houseplants like English Ivy and Ficus can even remove detrimental chemicals like formaldehyde from the air.
So whether you're into cacti or ivy, ferns or palms, there's a houseplant for everybody's overall health and happiness.
