Research reveals rounded leafy houseplants give biggest well-being boost

Neglected plants can be worse than none at all, the Rural Horticultural Society (RHS) and the University of Reading have found.

The study looked at people’s perceptions of well-being and the indoor environment as affected by viewing different houseplants. People scored plants on how beautiful, interesting, uplifting and relaxing they found them, with preferred plants found to give the greatest benefit to people’s well-being.

Healthy plants with a dense canopy resulted in the most positive effects on the way people felt about their indoor environment.

Palms were found to have particularly positive associations, as they reminded people of holidays and happy memories. People thought the most ‘beautiful’ plants were those with a softer, rounded canopy, such as devil’s ivy (Epipremnum aureum) but there was no preference for any particular shape.

On the other hand, unhealthy plants were found to reflect negatively on people’s perception of their indoor environment, and researchers recommend removing them.