Recent research published in the journal Urban Forestry and Urban Greening has suggested that plants at home can keep you mentally healthy.
The study which was conducted on 4,200 respondents by researchers including Katia Perini from the University of Genoa in Italy revealed that having plants at home had a positive influence on the psychological well-being of the residents during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The team of researchers stated that their study found that 74 percent of the respondents acknowledged that having plants at home had a positive influence on emotional well-being during the COVID-19 lockdown which derived them the chance to enjoy open spaces and nature between the months of March and June.
More than half (55.8 percent) of the respondents are said to have stated that they would have preferred to have more plants in their house during that difficult period. The study revealed that participants with no indoor plants had more episodes of negative emotions than those who had indoor plants.
Revealing the overall influence of plants on human beings, the report pointed out that residents living in small or poorly lit dwellings along with those who did not visit green spaces frequently even before lockdown also experienced more negative emotions.
Meanwhile, 52 percent of respondents stated they spent more time on plant care at home during the lockdown with almost two-thirds (62.5 percent) expressing their desire to do so once normality was restored.
The report remarked that 40 percent of the participants indicated that they were motivated to have more plants at home in the future.
