Edited by: Veronika Potylitsina
We’ve all been there, eyeing those cute potted succulents at a grocery store, a florist’s shop, or even at IKEA. I must admit, I caved in to my desires for a couple of the aesthetically pleasing indoor plants at the end of the summer. I bought three small succulents, each with a different distinct look, and dare I say…personality?
My three lovely succulents that sit near my window in my bedroom.
I had my whole little setup: a white plant stand from IKEA, fairy lights from Winners, and clear glass bowls for the plants to live in. Not long after, some tropical plants caught my eye at this little florist’s shop by my house. As you can probably expect, it didn’t take long before I had adopted two more plants into my room: a fern and a coffee plant. These ones sit at my desk in my bedroom on opposite sides of my computer monitor, and I love them!
Yes, all of these plants are cute and give my room a nice “aesthetic”, but are there real benefits to our favourite indoor plants? Here are six more reasons why you should consider getting a plant for your dorm room/bedroom:
1. They Help Your Eyesight
Most of us students at UofT likely find ourselves staring at a computer screen for a pretty significant portion of our day. According to All About Vision, we should all follow the ”20-20-20″ rule when using our computers: “take a break every 20 minutes and look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This exercise helps relieve digital eye strain, which can cause dry or irritated eyes, blurred vision and more”.
How do plants factor into this? A study by the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin “asked 69 men and women participants to take two minutes to find as many uses for a tin can as possible. Just before the experiment started, half of the participants were shown a white rectangle and the other half a green one. After the two minutes, each idea about the tin can was rated for its creativity. It was found that participants who saw green before the test came up with more interesting and creative answers!” By looking at a green plant while exercising the “20-20-20” rule may not only reduce the negative effects of your computer screen on your eyes but increase your creativity as well!
2. They Clean Your Air
Indoor plants can drastically change the air quality in your living space. Granted, it usually takes a significant number of plants to achieve maximum air-filtering potential, but a few small plants are better than none. In a study by NASA called the Study of Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement, it was reported “that for virtually, all plants tested, the reductions in benzene and formaldehyde are significant”. These teratogens are some of the more common that are found in our air, so it definitely doesn’t hurt to have a plant working on reducing their levels in your living space.
3. They Keep Your Room Cleaner
No, they won’t do the laundry you’ve been avoiding, but plants have the potential to reduce dust accumulation in your room. In a study conducted at Washington State University, it was found that “dust was significantly lower throughout both rooms when plants were present than when they were absent. Dust was reduced by as much as 20% with plants.” So forget the duster (well, maybe not all together) and let a lovely little plant help you keep your room dust-free.
4. They Make Studying Easier
We can all relate to the feeling of absolute hopelessness when trying to study in your own room. It can be so hard to focus on demanding schoolwork or brutal readings. Can a desk plant help with that? As it turns out, it was discovered that “indoor plants in an office can prevent fatigue during attention-demanding work”. Even just glancing over at a pretty potted plant might help motivate you to get that essay done. This may be true according to Dr. Stephanie Lichtenfeld, who said that “green may serve as a cue that evokes the motivation to strive for improvement and task mastery, which in turn may facilitate growth,” in an interview with MSNBC.
5. They Reduce Your Stress Levels
Plants may actually make us less stressed. How is this possible? One study concluded that: “our results suggest that active interaction with indoor plants can reduce physiological and psychological stress compared with mental work. This is accomplished through suppression of sympathetic nervous system activity and diastolic blood pressure and promotion of comfortable, soothed, and natural feelings”. I don’t know about you, but the idea of a plant helping to reduce my psychological stress gets a big “yes” from me.
6. They Make for Really Nice Instagram Pictures
We already knew this. But it doesn’t hurt to mention that a couple of well-shot pictures might help spruce up your IG theme in a way that will make your dorm room look like a dream.
Don’t be afraid if you’re thinking that you won’t be able to keep a plant alive in your room! All of the plants that I currently have in my bedroom (the succulents, the fern, and the coffee plant) are all very low-maintenance plants. Non-direct sunlight and one decent watering a week will keep them healthy and thrive in your space. Other great low-maintenance plants for your room include lucky bamboo, aloe, jade plants, spider plants, and snake plants, according to balconygardenweb.com.
So next time you’re out shopping and you walk past some temping potted plants, consider the many amazing health benefits that may come with buying one or two…or three…or four.
