Do houseplants have beneficial effects on health? - Observatoire de la prévention

Studies have shown noticeable positive effects through an increase in positive emotions and a decrease in negative emotions, followed by a reduction in physical pain.

Participants even saw their mood and physiology improve more after transplanting an indoor plant than after performing a task on the computer.

These results indicate that interaction with houseplants can reduce psychological and physiological stress compared to mental tasks.

• Office workers in Norway found a link between the number of plants in their office and the number of sick days and productivity. Those with more plants in their office took less sick days and got more work done.

• American students were asked to perform computer tasks, with or without houseplants, in windowless rooms. In the presence of plants, they were more productive (12% faster in performing tasks) and less stressed since their blood pressure was lower than in the absence of houseplants.