Valentine's Day may just well be one of my favorite times of year. Probably because I'm a floral designer and horticulturist and anytime flowers or plants are the focus of a holiday, I'm ecstatic!
It's the busiest time of year for florists across the country. They are busy designing thousands and thousands of flower arrangements in the hopes that every person who receives flowers on this wonderful holiday will get to experience that amazing 'I just got flowers!" feeling. Flowers certainly can convey emotion and brighten someone's mood. There is even research to prove it!
A team of researchers at Rutgers University explored the link between flowers and life satisfaction in a 10-month study of participants' behavioral and emotional responses to receiving flowers. The results show that flowers are a natural and healthful moderator of moods.
- Flowers have an immediate impact on happiness. All study participants expressed "true" or "excited" smiles upon receiving flowers, demonstrating extraordinary delight and gratitude. This reaction was universal, occurring in all age groups.
- Flowers have a long-term positive effect on moods. Specifically, study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers, and demonstrated a higher sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction.
- Flowers make intimate connections. The presence of flowers led to increased contact with family and friends.
Read more about the study here.
So, why not brighten one of your loved one's moods this holiday! Get those Valentine's order in early and be sure to support your local florist this year.
Thinking of a longer lasting gift, check back for a later post on some good plant options for Valentines gifts!