Written by Valerie Nguyen and Edited by Mehr Kaur Bawa
As social distancing continues and quarantine fatigue begins to set in, one might consider taking up a hobby that is both pleasing to your senses and beneficial to your health—gardening. Students and employees working at home alike might be surprised to find that house plants can help reduce stress, increase productivity, and even enhance work enjoyment. Aside from that, they may even freshen up space and provide cleaner air [1]. Plants can act not only as an aesthetic addition to your home but also as an enhancer to your quality of life.
The idea of being confined to your home may feel stifling, boring, and even headache-inducing for some. Likewise, scientists at NASA studied a similar concept by the name of “sick building syndrome” in which workers in newer buildings with poor ventilation began to report various illnesses that they attributed to their workspace [2]. The aim of the study is to determine ways to mitigate potential health issues that may arise for astronauts in space [2]. By placing plants inside of an enclosed chamber filled with specific nutrients needed to sustain the plant’s growth, researchers found that the plants lessened the amount of the pollutants by absorbing the chemicals into their roots and converting them into new tissue [2]. Despite these monumental findings, it is important to note that there have been further studies both disputing and supporting the results of this experiment. Even so, it is interesting to know our leafy green companions may be able to improve the air quality of our homes.
Furthermore, as students working from home, it is important to note that plants can possibly enhance the effectiveness of a workspace. Even the act of caring for a plant can decrease stress, as seen in a Journal of Physiological Anthropology study, where participants were given the option of two tasks—either plant transplantation or computer work [3]. Overall, the participants who worked with plants were not only more likely to self-report positive feelings, but also were recorded as having more suppressed sympathetic activity, a key nervous system that activates the body’s fight or flight mechanisms that tend to arise from the onset of stress [3]. If there is indeed a correlation between plant work and reduction of the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, then plant care could be a simple method for helping one unwind at the end of the day. Moreover, in a 2015 Journal of Environmental Psychology study, the effects of the absence or presence of plants in the work environment were observed [4]. In two rounds of testing, individuals were placed in rooms with and without foliage and subjected to a test of cognitive ability [4]. Ultimately, after the second round of testing, those who shared a room with foliage were found to have improved performance of computer tasks [4]. Similarly, a 2014 University of Exeter study suggested that “green” environments correlated with increased worker satisfaction, concentration, engagement, and perceived air quality [5].
As one year draws to a close and another one begins, the uncertainty may seem overwhelming. You may feel your sympathetic nervous system going into overdrive at times with the stresses induced by daily life. As you prepare to weather the challenges ahead, why not pick up a plant friend to help you enhance your quality of life and add to the aesthetic quality of your workspace?
References:
- Weatherspoon, Deborah. “A Hobby for All Seasons: 7 Science-Backed Benefits of Indoor Plants.” Healthline, Healthline, 8 Sept. 2020, www.healthline.com/health/healthy-home-guide/benefits-of-indoor-plants. Accessed 11 Nov. 2020.
- Wolverton, B.C., Johnson, A., Bounds, K. (1989). Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement. NASA.
- Lee, M.S., Lee, J., Park, B.J., Miyazaki, Y. (2015). Interaction with Indoor Plants May Reduce Psychological and Physiological Stress by Suppressing Autonomic Nervous System Activity in Young Adults: A Randomized Crossover Study. Journal of Physiological Anthropology. 34:21.
- Raanaas, R.K., Evenson, K.H., Rich, D., Sjostrom, G., Patil, G. (2011). Benefits of Indoor Plants On Attention Capacity In An Office Setting. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 31:99-105.
- University of Exeter. “Why Plants In the Office Make Us More Productive.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 1 Sept. 2014, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140901090735.htm. Accessed 11 Nov. 2020.