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Healing the
Mind
One could
say that plants and flowers were the gift nature has given us to help us
manage stress in our everyday lives. Dr. Roger Ulrich certainly believes
this to be true. An environmental psychologist at Texas A&M University,
he was the first American researcher to study the benefits of plants on
hospital patients. As he had suspected, he found that when plants were
visible to these patients, their levels of stress were reduced, their
need for pain medications decreased, hospital stays were shorter, and
their sense of optimism and physical well-being increased.
As a result of his work, a new approach to hospital environments has emerged with the creation of "patient friendly" health care facilities that feature nature views for those in hospital. Now, plants and flowers are regularly included among these facilities to assist in the healing of their patients.
In 1996, a
study conducted by Virginia Lohr of Washington State University, showed
that when computer users worked in a lab with plants absent, blood
pressure went up. However, when plants were placed in the room, their
blood pressure went down, reflecting a lowering of their stress levels.
In addition, the subjects actually demonstrated a 12% quicker reaction
time to tasks on their computers!
Diane Relf
of Virginia Polytechnic Institute discovered that people communicate
better in the presence of plants, and eat more slowly when flowers are
on the table. Other studies have shown that the presence of plants can
improve the self-image of prison inmates, as well as help relax
psychiatric patients.
Dr. Jeannette Haviland-Hones at Rutgers University was excited about the results of her university study of the effects people experienced when receiving flowers. The findings, she said, "challenge established scientific beliefs about how people can manage their day-to-day moods in a healthy and natural way".
In fact, her
team found that over a 20-month period, participants of all ages
experienced happiness on receiving flowers, felt less depressed or
anxious after receiving them, and were drawn to increase their contact
with family and friends.
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