Flower
Power |
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Horticultural-therapy classes
are conducted through the North Carolina Botanical
Garden |
Photo:
North Carolina Botanical Garden |
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| The many health benefits of floral creations |
| Birthday parties and memorial
services share practically nothing in common, until a florist
is involved. Whether delivered to a celebratory gathering
or to one of grieving, a lift in the collective mood is an
almost assured response to the entrance of vibrant arrangements. |
| Flowers serve as emotional
conveyors among societies, whether through their presence
at ancient burial sites or through the floral industry's blitz
of advertisements on sentimental holidays. Whereas botanists
are drawn to their structure and plant-family classification,
psychologists study flowers to learn how their mere presence
impacts behavior. |
| A positive influence |
| Given the global floriculture
industry’s $30 billion in annual profits, scientists have
taken a closer look at how flowers environmentally trigger
favorable socio-emotional responses. |
| In fact, a 2005 Rutgers University
study examined the direct environmental influence of flowers
and their short- and long-term effects on emotional response,
social behavior, and mood. In a 10-month study, a team of
psychologists observed reactions to the presentation of flowers
across three participant groups. Researchers made conclusions
based on study participants’ immediate display of a true –
or Duchenne-smile in response to receiving flowers. |
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| Take time to smell the roses |
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| Across all participant groups,
researchers observed the Duchenne smile when flowers were
presented. In one study, female participants reported more
positive moods for several days after receiving flowers. When
researchers instructed a mixed group of men and women to anticipate
delivery of a gift, flower recipients responded more favorably
to the arrival of flowers than those who received fruit baskets
or candles. A final study of elderly flower recipients revealed
increased reports of positive moods and improved episodic
memory. |
| “This research has provided
key public-relations opportunities for the industry and has
generated valuable news coverage,” notes Jennifer Sparks,
vice president of marketing for the Society of American Florists. |
| “The great exposure
helps to create top-of-mind awareness among consumers of the
positive benefits of flowers.” |
| Special Delivery |
| Whether delivered to an individual
or large group, fresh-cut floral arrangements must convey
the intended sentiment. Such pressure pushes florists to listen
closely and ask the right questions in order to translate
customers’ wishes into a fitting arrangement. |
| “Flowers have a very powerful
effect emotionally, especially when the goal is to cheer someone
up and make a day a little brighter,” says Janice Cutler,
president and owner of North Raleigh Florist. |
| “Environmental factors and
a behavioral point of view (factor in)…how the recipient would
react, what colors they respond to, where the arrangement
will be placed.” |
| Deb Taylor, design manager
for Durham-based Floral Dimensions at Academy Court, also
stresses learning the recipient through the customer. |
| “A gift of flowers can be
very personal,” she says. “We would first explore the occasion
for choosing a floral gift (and) its purpose, and then the
relationship between the customer and the recipient.” |
| Despite their ubiquitous role
in weddings, flowers often account for only 10 percent of
the budget by the time food, music and photography are factored
in. After the big day has passed, however, flowers take on
a larger role when wedding albums become key to reminiscing. |
| “We find that
the bride, and especially the mothers, will make the point
that the flowers show up forever in the wedding photos to
enhance the memories, but the food becomes a fleeting memory,”
says Bea Miller, who owns Floral Dimensions with her husband,
Jon. |
| Active interaction |
| Flowers arrive unexpectedly
to brighten anyone’s day, but what can be said about how such
influence applies to interacting with them or other plants?
For several centuries, the curative effects of gardening have
been documented by the medical community. When digging in
the dirt in a calming environment therapeutically benefitted
World War II veterans, horticultural therapy emerged as a
profession |
| Therapist Nancy Easterling
noticed patients gazing repeatedly at the natural world outside
her office window early in her career. Easterling returned
to school to North Carolina Botanical Garden (NCBG) in Chapel
Hill. |
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| The mere
presence of flowers has proven to increase moods, based
on a Rutgers University study.
Photo: Floral Dimensions |
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“Involvement in horticultural
activities and exposure to nature offers expanded opportunities
for cognitive, psychological, social, and physical gain for
individuals of varied ability and interest,” she says. |
| In one brain-stimulation
activity, Easterling had participants living with demential
smell, crush, and sort by shape and color a table covered
in dandelions, rose petals, and pansies. The group then discussed
reminiscences and painted with watercolors while floral prints
were displayed. Through tapping their senses of sight, touch
and smell, participants had a better awareness of time and
place. |
| As photographer Ernest Haas,
who captured dynamic movement and color in nature, has said
of flowers, “They make our feasts more festive and when words
are missing, they are asked to speak for us. And they do.”
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