The Benefits Of Plants
The Benefits Of Plants
Biophilia plays a big part in keeping people physically and mentally healthy – plants help to boost productivity and creativity, as well as reducing minor illnesses and improving feelings of wellbeing. Here’s exactly how plants help to keep staff happy and healthy, and the science behind it.
Improving Physical Health
Plants have a real and significant impact on people’s health, as was proven by a Norwegian study by Dr. Tøve Fjeld, at the Agricultural University of Norway. The research showed that even a small number of plants can reduce minor health symptoms.
The increased humidity that plants bring helps to keep our mucous membranes healthier, which in turn reduces hoarseness, coughing and a dry throat by around 30%. The higher humidity levels also lead to a decrease of skin irritations. Headaches and fatigue drop significantly - by at least 20% - when interior plants are present.
Improving Mental Health
The amount of time we spend in natural surroundings has a profound impact on our mental health. This is due to something known as biophilia – the innate need that humans have to connect with nature and other forms of life. It has been known for many years that views of nature help hospital patients to recover more quickly, but did you know that plants can also help people to feel less stressed and anxious while at work?
Putting interior plants into your office helps to simulate the natural environment, and this can boost people’s feelings of wellbeing, reduce feelings of depression by as much as 58%, and improve memory retention and attention spans. Plants can even stimulate people to become more creative at work - people working in offices that included biophilic elements reported a 15% increase in creativity levels.
Increasing Productivity
Plants boost productivity and aid concentration - people are around 15% more productive when indoor plants are added to the office. Interestingly, a study by an American company found that their employees with views of natural elements handled calls 6-7% faster than those without. They saved $2,990 per employee per year as a result of giving their workers views of nature – which shows the financial gains to be had from increasing the workforce’s productivity are huge.
Reducing Absenteeism
Interior plants help to reduce absenteeism and presenteeism (being at work but feeling unwell and not performing well). An American study found that 10% of employee absences can be directly attributed to a lack of natural elements in the workplace. According to the Foresight study of mental capital and well-being, presenteeism costs UK businesses £1 billion per year, which is 1.3 times higher than the cost of absenteeism. This clearly shows that interior plants can save employers significant sums of money through a healthier workforce.
Attracting And Retaining Staff
A third of office workers say that the design of an office would affect their decision to work at a company. Plants were also listed as the second most wanted element in office design (the first most wanted element was natural light). This shows what a significant influence plants can have on people’s decisions about where to work.
Therefore, for companies wanting to attract top talent to their workplace interior plants are a must – something that companies such as Apple and Google have recognised, building their offices around biophilic principals to make them creative and exciting places to work. Indoor plants also present a huge opportunity for employers to save on staff turnover costs.
"Biophilic design is a response to the human need to connect with nature"
2015 Human Spaces Report: Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace
"Biophilic design is a response to the human need to connect with nature"
2015 Human Spaces Report: Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace
Purifying The Air
Plants help to purify the air we breathe by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen into the air during photosynthesis. For example if you install a green wall, every 1m² of the green living wall will extract approx. 2.3 kg of CO2 from the air and produce 1.7 kg of oxygen per annum.
Indoor plants also reduce the amount of harmful toxins in the air. A 1989 study by NASA found that interior plants absorb VOCs – volatile organic compounds – such as trichloroethylene (TCE), benzene and formaldehyde. All these chemicals are known to cause health problems such as skin, eye and nose irritation. The NASA study shows that indoor plants absorb VOCs through the soil and leaves, effectively and significantly reducing the amount of these toxins in the air.
Improving Humidity
The air inside buildings tends to be dry, and this is especially true of air conditioned offices. Dry air and inadequate ventilation contributes towards ‘sick building syndrome’ by causing health problems like skin irritation and itchy eyes, as well as coughs, colds and headaches. It can also exacerbate respiratory problems such as asthma.
Introducing interior plants into an office space increases the humidity levels, and reduces these minor health problems among staff. In fact, studies have shown that plants can reduce sick building syndrome by around 25%, and thus reduce absenteeism and increase the overall health of workers.