{"id":269,"date":"2022-02-10T22:48:29","date_gmt":"2022-02-10T22:48:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/balanceandblooms.com\/?p=269"},"modified":"2019-10-03T14:01:28","modified_gmt":"2019-10-03T14:01:28","slug":"rutgers-flowers-boost-seniors-well-being","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/balanceandblooms.com\/rutgers-flowers-boost-seniors-well-being\/","title":{"rendered":"Rutgers: Flowers Boost Seniors\u2019 Well Being"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Everyday, America\u2019s aging population \u2013 40 million and rising \u2013 faces the challenges of growing older, including depression, memory loss and social withdrawal. As a concerned nation, we are continually exploring new means to ease daily-life anxieties. A six-month behavioral study by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, on the health effects of flowers on senior citizens, demonstrates that flowers ease depression, inspire social networking and refresh memory as we age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe results are significant because as our nation grows older and life becomes more stressful, we look for easy and natural ways to enhance our lives \u2013 and the lives of our aging parents,\u201d said Dr. Jeannette Haviland-Jones, professor of psychology and director of the Human Development Lab at Rutgers. \u201cNow, one simple answer is right under our noses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This research follows a study conducted in 2000, which links flowers to greater happiness and life satisfaction in women. In 2001, Rutgers set out to explore the effects flowers would have on senior citizens, who experience different living situations and greater life changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prevention in a Bud, Not a Bottle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

More than 100 seniors participated in the Rutgers research study, in which some received flowers and others did not. The results shed new light on how nature\u2019s support systems help seniors cope with the challenges of aging. The results are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Flowers Decrease Depression. Study participants showed a significant increase in happiness and positive moods when flowers were present.<\/li>
  2. Flowers Refresh Recent Memory. Seniors performed higher on everyday memory tasks and experienced enriched personal memories in the presence of flowers.<\/li>
  3. Flowers Encourage Companionship. Seniors who received flowers re-engaged with members of their communities and enlarged their social contacts to include more neighbors, religious support and even medical personnel.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cInstinct tells us that flowers lift our spirits, but, their effects on seniors are especially profound, if not surprising,\u201d said Haviland-Jones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    New Evidence Sprouts Up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Specifically, 81 percent of seniors who participated in the study reported a reduction in depression following the receipt of flowers. Forty percent of seniors reported broadening their social contacts beyond their normal social circle of family and close friends. And, 72 percent of the seniors who received flowers scored very high on memory tests in comparison with seniors who did not receive flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cHappier people live longer, healthier lives and are more open to change,\u201d said Haviland-Jones. \u201cOur research shows that a small dose of nature, like flowers, can do a world of wonder for our well-being as we age.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Methodology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The Flowers & Seniors Study is the second floral research project conducted by Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D., professor of psychology, Project Director, Human Development Lab at Rutgers. Dr. Haviland-Jones is a psychologist and internationally recognized authority in the role of emotional development in human behavior and nonverbal emotional signals and response. In 2000, Haviland-Jones completed the first phase of her research on the emotional impact of flowers on women. The Society of American Florists worked in cooperation with the Rutgers research team, bringing its expertise of flowers to the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Asian elderly couple making bouquet flowers on a wooden table in kitchen at home. Chinese sweet senior couple using time relax together at home. Lifestyle senior couple at home concept.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The Flowers & Seniors Study examined senior citizens\u2019 levels of depression, social contact and memory with and without the presence of flowers. Participants were placed in one of four groups, each receiving flowers at different intervals. A series of three interviews was conducted throughout the six-month study, to measure changes in participants\u2019 moods and behaviors. Participants also kept personal daily logs to record social contacts and were given a memory test at the conclusion of the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Study Participants<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The study consisted of 104 participants (94 women, 10 men), ranging in ethnicity, from ages 55-93. To prevent skewed or biased results, participants did not know the purpose of the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Interviews<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n