With the cold weather and shorter days here for a few months, you may find yourself spending more time indoors. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t bring a touch of the outdoors inside. House plants are an excellent way to do that, offering several benefits:

Reduced Anxiety

One study had participants transplant a house plant and then perform a computer task. The findings showed that participants had a notable decrease in blood pressure after transplanting the plant, compared to the computer task.

Improved Productivity

Another study found that when plants were added to a windowless lab, college students worked 12% faster.

Increased Happiness

In an experiment, people who spent 5 to 10 minutes in a room with house plants reported feeling happier than those in a room without plants.

Sharpened Attention

A study placed elementary students in separate classrooms—one with a real plant, one with an artificial plant, and one with a photo of a plant. The results showed that students in the room with the real plant had improved attention and concentration, as evidenced by brain scans.

Bringing house plants into your home can enrich your environment and well-being, especially during the colder months.