Saturday, January 18, 2014

PP: Flowers and Research: It's a Good Thing!

Peggy's Pointers
Helping you become more floral Savvy each Sunday!

Power of Flowers: University Research Proves Benefits Stem from Flowers

If you are part of the floral industry, you have witness the emotional roller coaster that is involved in sending and receiving flowers.  Our industry experts are continually doing scientific research on the emotional and behavioral benefits of flowers. Their findings prove the power of flowers  can be very  important in our daily lives.
 
                   Emotional Impact of Flowers Study, Rutgers University
According to behavioral research conducted at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, nature provides us with a simple way to improve emotional health - flowers. The presence of flowers triggers happy emotions heightens feelings of life satisfaction and affects social behavior in a positive manner far beyond what is normally believed.
Rutgers University researchers explored the link between flowers and life satisfaction in a 10-month study of participants' behavioral and emotional responses to receiving flowers. They learned that the presence of flowers triggers happy emotions heightens feelings of life satisfaction and affects social behavior in a positive manner far beyond what is normally believed.
"What's most exciting about this study is that it challenges established scientific beliefs about how people can manage their day-to-day moods in a healthy and natural way," said Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Rutgers and lead researcher on the study.
                        Home Ecology of Flowers Study, Harvard University

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.
Living with flowers provides 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
                   Power of Giving Flowers Study, Rutgers University
M.J. Ryan, award-winning author of the Random Acts of Kindness book series and The Giving Heart, uses cutting-edge science to bring out the best in people. In her books, she teaches individuals how gratitude and generosity can result in greater happiness, health and feelings of human connectivity.

“A successful person is not necessarily someone with a lot of money and material goods, but rather someone who is in tune with people and knows how to touch their hearts,” says Ryan. “I can think of no other item besides flowers that evokes such positive feelings and perceptions for both the giver and the recipient.”
The research reveals that those who send flowers, in comparison to other gifts, are viewed as successful, caring and emotionally intelligent people.
In an eight-month study, the Texas A&M University research team explored the link between flowers and plants and workplace productivity. Participants performed creative problem solving tasks in a variety of common office environments, or conditions. The conditions included a workplace with flowers and plants, a setting with sculpture and an environment with no decorative embellishments.
During the study, both women and men demonstrated more innovative thinking, generating more ideas and original solutions to problems in the office environment that included flowers and plants. In these surroundings, men who participated in the study generated 15% more ideas. And, while males generated a greater abundance of ideas, females generated more creative, flexible solutions to problems when flowers and plants were present.
Flowers and plants lead to working smarter. Men who participated in the study generated 30 percent more ideas when working in environments with flowers and plants. Women generated more creative, flexible solutions to problems in workplace environments with flowers and plants.
Although it has not been an official study, the staff at the Flower Nook also can testify about the benefits of sending and receiving flowers. But don’t take our word; do your own study and send some flowers today—just because.   I think you will be pleased with the results!  We would also love if you would share your floral story with us.

        

 

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