Flowers are utilized throughout every facet of life, from love and loss, to celebration and comfort. All our senses are touched when we receive a floral arrangement or stroll through a garden. Texture, aroma, and color help us connect with this beautiful piece of nature and it evokes great emotion. Flowers and other elements of nature are inspirational in art and design and create a harmonious connection with our surroundings.
According to Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, “Our response to color is intensely emotional and flowers can be catalyst for feelings that stimulate more than just our senses of sight and smell.”
There have been many studies on the effects flowers have on our psyche. In one such study, flowers were placed in a room where everyone could see them. The participants experienced a heightened sense of happiness. According to the Rutgers researchers, the presence of flowers has an immediate impact on happiness and flowers have a long-term positive effect on moods. Other results show that people who live with flowers have fewer episodes of anxiety and depressed feelings.
Flowers stimulate social trust in many ways. They communicate the intention to invest effort in a relationship. And they convey a respect for fragility. We feel the impermanence of flowers, and it reminds us that care is necessary to sustain life. Relationships can be as fragile as flowers and the care we give to plants helps us remember the care that our relationships need.