Indoor plants not only add beauty to our living rooms, but also act as destressing agents. They also have many more benefits.
The lifestyle of the urban people is slowly taking them away from enjoying the greenery and nature. Moreover, deforestation too is increasing at a fast pace. Since most of the daily time is spent indoors, there is a possibility of the development of 'Sick Building Syndrome', a syndrome developed as a result of spending large amounts of time in a closed environment.
The level of air pollution in the environment has risen in the past few years. Poisonous gases and particulate matter that are emitted from the vehicles, factories, and other sources, that result in various diseases.
The indoor environment emits chemicals that are equally dangerous when compared to the external pollutants. The furniture, paints, adhesives, carpets, insulation, building material used in the house and many such items emit the volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). Indoor plants absorb these chemicals and helps to purify the air.
Indoor Plants Benefits
There are many benefits of indoor plants. The mere presence of plants in our surroundings bring a feeling of refreshment. Plants are not just decorative items used to stuff the vacant space. The most important benefit of indoor plants is their ability to absorb carbon dioxide. In return they emit oxygen and help in cleansing the air. They also absorb harmful chemicals and toxins. The experiments conducted to test the absorption capacity of indoor plants have yielded excellent results.
Employees
Plants are also known to have destressing effects on the mind. The green color that the plants possess relaxes the mind. Placing plants in offices have resulted in the rise in productivity of employees working in a firm. According to the studies conducted, the offices having enough plants in the premises have resulted a drop in absenteeism. It also showed an enhancement in the creativity of employees and reduction of minor health problems like fatigue, headaches, etc.
Children
Other than the destressing effects of indoor plants, they hold many more benefits. Children can learn about different species of plants if planted indoors. Spending time in the vicinity of plants not only gives results in mental satisfaction, but also helps in learning many things. It is possible to give indoor gardening lessons to children by means of indoor plants.
Planting trees in premises of schools is also a good practice. It generates a calming effect and helps in soothing the mind. The Royal College of Agriculture located in Cirencester, United Kingdom, had conducted an experiment to monitor the behavior of children in the presence of plants. The restlessness and other behavioral symptoms among children in rooms having plants, were reduced by 70%.
