Tyla

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Not now
OK
Advert
Advert
Advert

House Plants Help Relieve Stress Of Lockdown, Scientists Confirm

Gregory Robinson

Published 
| Last updated 

House Plants Help Relieve Stress Of Lockdown, Scientists Confirm

Featured Image Credit: Pexels

House plants help relieve the stress of lockdown, according to a new study.

Having plants improves mental wellbeing while stuck at home during the pandemic, say scientists. The amount of time people are spending in green spaces has been significantly reduced by restrictions imposed by the government to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Staying at home is the single most important action people can take to protect health workers and save lives, according to the government, but being cooped up inside for too long has been linked to mental wellbeing issues, including stress and anxiety.

Being cooped up inside for too long has been linked to mental wellbeing issues, including stress and anxiety (Credit: Pexels)
Being cooped up inside for too long has been linked to mental wellbeing issues, including stress and anxiety (Credit: Pexels)
Advert

Scientists at the University of Seville in Spain have found having plants around the house helps people's mental health.

Co-author Professor Luis Pérez-Urrestarazu said: "The present study evaluated the role of having plants at home during the confinement period as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic that deprived people of freely visiting open green spaces.

"Having indoor plants was correlated with more positive emotions, and confined inhabitants allocated more time for plant maintenance."

A questionnaire was filled out by 4,205 people from 46 countries about their experience during lockdown between March and June 2020. People were asked how long they had been confined for and how it had impacted their mental wellbeing.

Advert

They were then asked to describe their environment, including the numbers of plants and outdoor spaces in their home.

Out of the 4,205 respondents, 75 per cent claimed having plants had a positive impact in their emotional wellbeing, the researchers found.

Out of the 4,205 respondents, 75 per cent claimed having plants had a positive impact in their emotional wellbeing (Credit: Unsplash)
Out of the 4,205 respondents, 75 per cent claimed having plants had a positive impact in their emotional wellbeing (Credit: Unsplash)

More than half (55.8 per cent) would have wanted more plants in their home during this difficult period.

Advert

People who did not have any plants (3.3 per cent) were more likely to experience negative emotions during lockdown.

The same was true for those living in small and poorly lit houses, or who had not visited green spaces frequently before lockdown, the researchers say.

Half of respondents (54 per cent) said they had spent more time caring for their plants during lockdown.

Overall, 40 per cent of people said they wanted to have more plants at home in the future.

Advert

Professor Pérez-Urrestarazu said: "Previous studies have concluded that contact and interaction of humans with nature has a positive impact on their health and well-being.

Scientists at the University of Seville in Spain have found having plants around the house helps people's mental health (Credit: Unsplash)
Scientists at the University of Seville in Spain have found having plants around the house helps people's mental health (Credit: Unsplash)

"The Covid-19 pandemic emerged as a unique and global crisis that deprived people worldwide from the possibility of visiting public green spaces for a prolonged period of time, which extended to more than six weeks.

"Our study shows that, according to the majority of participants, vegetation in indoor living spaces positively influenced their emotional well-being during the confinement period."

Advert

The findings were published in the journal Urban Forestry and Urban Greening.

Topics: Science, Life News, lockdown, Home Decor, plants, Life, Nature

Gregory Robinson
More like this
Advert
Advert
Advert

Chosen for YouChosen for You

Entertainment

Rihanna shares plans for baby number three with A$AP Rocky

5 hours ago

Most Read StoriesMost Read

NHS advice on pulling out ingrown hairs after father is given 4% chance of survival

a day ago