Science Forums 2

[Michaelangelica]

In an article published in a recent issue of Horticultural Science, researchers at Texas State University in San Marcos found that workers who had at least one plant in their offices

• rated themselves as happier in their work
• more satisfied with life in general
• happiest of all were those with windows and greenery
• but it is more important to have a plant than a window,
• plants provide a calming visual cue for the troubled
• create a link to humans' evolutionary past.

South Bend Tribune: A greenish tint to office health

Another study on plants in hospitals:-

Findings of this study confirmed the therapeutic value of plants in the hospital environment as a noninvasive, inexpensive, and effective intervention for surgical patients in a general hospital ward.
Patients exposed to plants:-

• experienced shorter hospitalisations,
• fewer intakes of postoperative analgesics,
• more positive physiological responses,
• less pain, anxiety, and fatigue than patients in the control group.

Outcomes of this study will substantially affect patientsâ and hospital administrators decisions that indoor plant intervention can:-

• foster improved medical outcomes,
• increase satisfaction with providers
• and be acceptably cost effective as compared to other alternatives

.

K-State Research Exchange: Randomized clinical trials evaluating therapeutic influences of ornamental indoor plants in hospital rooms on health outcomes of patients recovering from surgery