Flower Power Turns 40 Research Proves What the Flower Children Knew 40 Years Ago

Forty years after the poet Allen Ginsberg coined the term flower power (1965), research proves that blossoms actually do spread the happiness and joy the hippies once believed. Several university studies conducted between 2000 and 2005 point to the psychological, emotional, behavioral and environmental benefits of flowers and plants.

“We aren't surprised by the collection of positive findings about flowers,” says Peter Moran, CEO of the Society of American Florists. “Flowers help us celebrate virtually every occasion in our lives, from monumental, joyous occasions to simple relaxed dinners at home.”

Flowers Make an Emotional Impact

Most recently, The Journal of Evolutionary Psychology published, “An Environmental Approach to Positive Emotion: Flowers.” The article describes three research studies conducted by Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D., director of the Human Development Lab at Rutgers University.

“Flowers have immediate and long-term positive effects on emotional reactions, mood, social behaviors and even memory for both males and females,” Haviland-Jones said. “Perhaps flowers have evolved to induce positive emotion in humans, just as other plants have evolved to induce other kinds of responses in nature.”

In her first, and perhaps most heralded study, Haviland-Jones and her team found that the presence of flowers triggers happy emotions, heightens feelings of life satisfaction and positively affects social behavior – far beyond what is normally believed. Specifically, upon receiving a gift of flowers, the participants of this 10-month behavioral study, all of whom were female, responded with true smiles and reported positive moods that lasted for days. The presence of flowers also led to increased contact with family and friends.

In her second study, women and men were spontaneously given a flower while riding alone in an elevator. Researchers studied measures of social interaction such as verbal cues and body language. Both the women and men who received flowers demonstrated increased eye contact in conversation, stood in closer proximity to the researchers, and produced more and truer smiles than those who did not receive flowers.

“When it comes to receiving flowers, men and women are on the same playing field,” said Haviland-Jones. “It seems that we all express extraordinary delight and increase our social behavior.”

Haviland-Jones describes the results of her third study on the effects that flowers have on senior citizens, which include better moods and improved memory. “The study demonstrates that flowers ease depression, inspire social networking and refresh memory as we age,” Haviland-Jones said.

Flowers Also Work Overtime

At Texas A&M University , Roger Ulrich, Ph.D., and his research team found that flowers and plants might hold the secret to business success. His eight-month study demonstrated that workers' idea generation, creative performance and problem-solving skills improve substantially in workplace environments that include flowers and plants.

“Virtually any kind of job in a modern economy rests heavily on good ideas,” Ulrich began. ‘The implication of the research is that by helping an accountant or a teacher or a scientist or an administrator generate better ideas – it may help them be more successful. And in the case of businesses, it might actually help to increase the bottom line.”

The Real Power of Flowers

“Flowers really do communicate the peace, beauty and love that they symbolized in the 60s,” said Rebecca Cole, host of Discovery Channel's Surprise By Design and author of a design book entitled Flower Power. “Best of all, they have the power to make us happy. What could be better than that?”

Together, Cole and the Society of American Florists have developed Flower Fundamentals: The Hip Giver's Guide, a month-by-month resource to flowers. It includes a library of flower and plant varieties, gift-giving tips and advice, floral research information and more.

For more information go to www.aboutflowers.com