Why do we love flowers?

So many of us take pleasure from flowers, it might be in the garden or nature, it might be gifting flowers to cheer a friend or loved one up, it might be styling and arranging flowers or simply receiving flowers to brighten your home/ living space.

This got me thinking…. What is it that so many of us enjoy about flowers? Is it the colour, the scent, the texture or simply the sentiment behind giving or receiving flowers.

After a little research into studies and investigations on why we find joy in florals I found there actually is some science behind the beauty of nature.

According to the Rutgers researchers, the presence of flowers provides the following benefits:

Flowers have immediate impact on happiness. All study participants, in every age group, expressed excitement when receiving flowers. Reactions included surprise, genuine happiness and gratitude.
Flowers have a long-term positive effect on moods. Study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious, and agitated after receiving flowers. They also demonstrated greater sense of life satisfaction.
Flowers create intimate connections. Giving and receiving flowers creates positive contact between family and friends.

Flowers can only make you happy by triggering your happy brain chemicals.

Here’s how they do that:

Dopamine

Dopamine is triggered by the expectation of a reward.

Flowers were a huge reward signal in the world our brain evolved in because they marked the coming of abundance after a hungry winter.

Today we have enough to eat all year round so we don’t consciously link flowers with food. But the blossoming of a flower triggers the sense that something special is coming because it triggers dopamine.

Bright colours signalled valuable nutrition for our hunter-gather ancestors.

They balanced their diet by scanning for spots of colour.

They didn’t do it because they knew the chemistry; they did it because dopamine made them feel good.

Today, colour and variety make you feel good and get your attention even though you can get nutrition in other ways.

Floral arrangement’s have been used for hundreds of years to decorate so many celebrations and occasions, weddings, funerals, grand balls and Gala dinners for centuries. Used to bring colour and scent to any room or venue.

As humans we have always taken joy from flowers as though they are art, in the same way we have enjoyed gardens and woodlands when in bloom.

Studies show we find peace and mindfulness along with relaxation when we are in the presence of flowers.

As a whole we enjoy flowers for four reasons

If your receive flowers you feel someone is thinking of you
If you treat yourself to flowers they are a gift to yourself, you feel happiness when buying choosing the flowers as well as the vase life in your home or workspace
A mood boost for your interior weather its your home, workspace or at an event
The bloom over time for prolonged enjoyment, plants or fresh cut flower bloom over a period of time bringing different stages of enjoyment

As a business we aim to bring all this science into our Flower School so every customer and workshop attendee has a pleasant, enjoyable and mindful experience along with gaining floral design knowledge, tips and tricks along the way. Our studio is light, bright and airy with a calm and welcoming atmosphere. We are situated on Trumpetons Farm in Bedfordshire ( near Sandy) surrounded by nature and countryside.

We hope that every visit is enjoyable and each customer takes away a design or craft item they love.