The science of keeping plants in your living room

Wakefit
5 min readAug 25, 2020

Ever wondered why everyone is so obsessed with keeping plants around their homes? Go through any of the home decor pages on Instagram, and you would notice a multitude of greenery on every one of them. And most of these do not even showcase gardens.

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Be it a bedroom or a living room, balcony or a spacious bathroom; your indoor plant can help both in your mental and physical well-being. Houseplants are a welcome addition to any space in your house — both to liven up your home as well as your mood.

Here are 7 reasons why you should be out shopping for plants already.

1. The Air You BreatheBe Will Better

When we live in a city, the air we breathe is filled with pollutants. What’s worse is that the air inside our homes and apartments is potentially worse than outside. This is because while the pollutants get inside, there is no way for them to go out.

The bacteria and virus that gets in with this air can make you fall sick in the winter. While opening the windows in the winter could be a no-no, indoor plants can play a major role in purifying the air and improving the air quality.

They release airborne chemicals that tackle the pollutants and make the air cleaner and safer for you to breathe. Moreover, they are a unique addition to your living room decor idea!

2. Your Living Room Will Be More Comfortable

Plants have this unique ability to transform any room into a cosy and lively place. They add colour while at the same time, altering certain things about the immediate environment of the space in a soothing manner.

With a number of plants in your living room, you can change the humidity in the room and reduce the outdoor noise. If you place a pretty plant on your wooden wall shelves, they could strategically cover up an unattractive portion of your room.

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Place a big leafy plant near the window, and they can even screen sunlight and lower the temperature of the room for you. When you think about the way you want to arrange your living room, considering the way plants would become a part of the space might be a helpful idea.

3. Improve Your Mental Well-Being

Plants have a natural tendency to make you feel better. While there are many theories, a popular one says that this is primarily because plants make you think of the outdoors. This is especially helpful if you stay in a big city with little greenery, having plants at home can give you a sense of the lush outdoors.

Plants also have a feeling of peace and serenity around them. This calming nature of the plants can lead to you feeling calmer and more relaxed. Moreover, the fact that they improve the air quality of your home has an automatic impact on your health.

If you suffer from anxiety or depression, plants can be a great addition to your home for their calming nature. A cactus on one of your bookshelves would not need too much of your time and attention but will also add to the character of the space.

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Feel A Sense Of Accomplishment

Taking care of a plant, much like taking care of anything else, gives you a sense of achievement. When you pot your own plant and are given the responsibility of caring for it, you are automatically held accountable (by yourself) to be a caregiver for this living thing.

It is, therefore, not unnatural for you to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment as you see your plant grow bigger, see the first flower bloom or care for it when its leaves fall. Potting and repotting your plant and even just watering them at regular intervals add to this feeling.

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So go ahead, get a plant for your wooden wall shelves, living room edition, and feel like a proud mommy every time your plant grows an inch taller!

5. De-stress Better

Potting your plants and caring for them can be an amazing way to relieve stress and forget about the worries and troublesome thoughts that might be crowding your mind.

Being able to take your focus away from your worries is great for your mental health. But it is also a great thing for the health of your plants. They love this tender, loving care and grow better, therefore, providing better physical benefits.

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For the gardening newbies, starting with a succulent is a great idea if you have wooden wall shelves in your living room that can get a lot of sunlight. You can also consider philodendrons if you have moderate light.

6. Boost Your Productivity

Imagine a workspace with your favourite quotes, a pretty plant, desk decorations, and a window to gaze from. It definitely sounds like a space that would help you be extremely productive.

Studies show that spaces that have plants motivate you to work better, focus on your tasks at hand, and keep your productivity high. When you work in a space that is decorated to your taste, you feel more interested in staying in this space and concentrating on your work. You feel less stressed and anxious, and you are more likely to be creative! Find the perfect work from home desk or study table here.

7. Improve Your Relationships

Caring for another living being also helps you develop empathy and compassion. When you care for a plant, these positive feelings grow within you, and it helps you feel more empathetic towards other individuals in your life.

It is a great cure for loneliness because plants can add to a sense of companionship. If you are an introvert, they don’t make you feel completely isolated from the world and helps you make better connections when you do step out to socialise.

While pets can have the same effect, caring for plants is much easier than taking care of an animal. You can always graduate to having a pet but if you are unsure, starting off with a plant is a great idea.

Summing Up!

Adding plants to your living room has a myriad of benefits that range from your physical well-being to your professional growth. Your plant babies can make you feel accomplished, help you feel at peace, protect you from diseases, help with your anxiety as well as improve your interpersonal relationships.

So, your trip to the plant nursery should be due soon!

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Wakefit

Wakefit is a research and innovation driven sleep solutions company founded with a vision to democratize sleep in India.