Have you ever received a bunch of flowers and felt truly elated and excited? Haven’t you felt delighted and incredibly grateful too? Well, most people feel that way when they receive a beautiful bunch of flowers. But did you know that there are actual reasons why we feel this way when we get flowers? Studies have proved that flowers without a doubt make you happy!
In many societies, flowers have become an expression of tradition, communication, celebration, joy and even sorrow. They add value to rituals, and landmark occasions in a lifetime. Places of worship are never complete without flowers. Sri Lanka is a classic example of a country with a rich flower tradition. Floral art is an integral part of celebration in our life and religious ceremonies.
However, people have been giving flowers as gifts for thousands of years – there is written evidence that the ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Chinese civilizations used flowers to communicate feelings, meanings, and ideas. Luther Burbank (1849-1926) was an American botanist, horticulturist and pioneer in agricultural science.
He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 55-year career. He once said, “Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine for the soul.”
Burbank was ahead of his time; scientists have now proven that Burbank was right. Of course, not only Burbank but most of us have experienced that flowers make us happy– but did you ever wonder why?
Experiment
At the globally famous Rutgers University, a series of studies were conducted by researchers to check whether flowers have an immediate and long-term effect on mood, and if so, why and how?
These studies were done to find out how flowers can affect our emotional and behavioural state. They showed how beneficial flowers are to emotions and feelings. Flowers are actually linked to instant happiness when a person receives them, and they improve a person’s mood in the long run too. It ultimately means we’re more satisfied in our lives. Isn’t that great!
Those studies have proved that flowers alleviate stress and make our spirits soar. They help us to get rid of feelings of depression and anxiety.
How happiness comes up
But why do flowers make us happy? The studies have shown that when we pick up or receive a bunch of flowers, it gives us a connection to nature and takes us out of our fast-paced environment for a while, giving us a sense of peace and calm. It is like a piece of deep meditation. It’s not just the actual flowers but also the colours and fragrances that make us happy. This is done through a complicated process known as chromotherapy.
In simple terms, chromotherapy is colour-therapy. We all know that light is composed of colour. Along with colour, light also consists of chemical and emotional elements since it emits heat, electricity and magnetism.
Thus, light with its component of colours, could be used for healing the mind, body and spirit.
Different colours have different effects on the mind and the body. Today, there is much evidence that has documented these organic reactions in the flora and fauna of earth. The potencies and qualities of every object are determined by the colour of that object. Even the language we humans use denotes this, for example: pink for good health and green for envy.
Rutgers University’s scientific evidence shows how we respond emotionally and psychologically to colours.
Actually, it is nothing new. Even in the past, artists such as Rembrandt and Michelangelo used colours to symbolically convey messages in their paintings. The effect colour has on mood has been known for a long time.
Flowers affect mood in different ways. Pinks, peaches, and warm colours tend to provide a feeling of nurturing and are great for people who are sick or grieving, while reds and oranges are known to be colours of passion and sensuality, for example. Blues and purples promote relaxation and tranquillity, while bright, contrasting colours signal celebration.
Fragrances
Rutgers University experiments proved that flower fragrances have sleep-inducing qualities. Today almost everyone has a messed-up sleep schedule. In this internet age, no city dweller really sleeps. Almost all of them have messed-up sleep schedules which has adverse effects on health.
If you have the right type of flowers in the bedroom, they can help us sleep better. Flowers have a healing property and a calming effect on the mind, so if we don’t have flowers in the bedroom at present, we should consider getting them.
Strengthens immunity
While flowers may not be the miracle cure for any disease, they are found to help us recover faster from sickness. Flowers reduce hospital stays and lower painkiller dosage. They trigger our bodies to feel healthier and stronger.
Helps us live in the moment
When we look at something peaceful and soothing, we forget the past and the future for a while. We human beings have a tendency to live in our heads, and moments like these help us snap out of them. When we look at a beautiful flower in the garden, we pause for a moment to take a longer look because it makes us feel good. We truly ‘live’ at those precious moments.
We underestimate and under use the two precious gifts we have been given. These are the profound sense of memory and the vivid sense of imagination. We can still feel bad for a traumatic memory that happened 10 years ago, and we already suffer what the coming future would be. Flowers save us from ourselves by helping us forget our worries and appreciate the perfection of the moment.
Hence, flowers really do make people happier, healthier and more satisfied. And, most of all - they are freely available.