FALCON MEADOW
Petal Power! Laura Myatt, from Falcon Meadow Community Trust, looks at how flowers can help us beat stress
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fascinating scientific study has found that looking at flowers helps us to recover from psychological stress – and where better to test this theory than our own wildflower haven, Falcon Meadow?! Most people would instinctively say that flowers make them feel better – who doesn’t feel their spirits lifted when the first snowdrop peeps through, or cow parsley lines the verges? A recent study reported in the Journal of Environmental Psychology has taken this notion one step further, and found compelling evidence that the act of viewing a flower has fast and powerful psychological effects. So how did they work that out? Participants in the study were shown two sets of images while their blood pressure, stress levels and brain activity were monitored. The first set of images were highly negative (violence, injuries etc); and the second were termed ‘recovery’ images – a daisy, an abstract flower image, a small cross on a blank background, a blue sky and an office chair…although perhaps this one should have been in the first set! Not surprisingly, after seeing negative images, people’s blood pressure and stress levels increased significantly; and activity within the amygdalahippocampus (an area of the brain associated with negative emotions) also went up. But in
stark contrast, the response to the ‘recovery’ images was very clear. The flower image produced the fastest and most pronounced recovery in blood pressure, which often reached lower levels than before. It also produced the biggest reduction in the stress hormone cortisol. Plus, activity within the amygdalahippocampus decreased the most when viewing the flower image. And it didn’t even take long to produce results – improvements were noticeable within three seconds! So, perhaps you didn’t need a scientist to prove it, but just in case you did…it’s official, looking at flowers will make you feel good! And we’d suggest that wildflowers in a stunning location will make you feel even better. So please take advantage of the charm and variety of the wildflowers on Falcon Meadow this summer when they are at their finest. The meadow is yours,
so enjoy taking the time to look closely and we hope it makes your day a little better. We’d love to see your wildflower photos, so send them to us at info@falconmeadow.org.uk With thanks to wildflower charity Plantlife for bringing this study to our attention. www.falconmeadow.org.uk
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