Bring on the Blooms! Why Flowers Make Us Happy

We had a lovely trip to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens with family last weekend. The gardens are absolutely magnificent, a lush and captivating mix of nature trails, formal gardens, children’s areas and exhibits that bring nature to life and make learning fun. And the flowers, oh, the flowers. They made us happy!

A Gorgeous Spring Day and Gorgeous Blooms

It was a gorgeous spring day, the kind that starts with a disappointing chill but quickly and unexpectedly becomes a sun-kissed delight, the kind of day that makes you happy just to be alive and outdoors. We were with the YGs (young Glovers) and their two little boys, ages 1 and almost 3, and all of us enjoyed the outing in our own ways. It was as fun watching the boys take in the sights as it was seeing them myself, and I only took a few pictures, mostly in the orchid exhibit. (I love orchids.)

Why Do Flowers Make Me Happy?

Looking at the images of brightly colored flowers today, I immediately felt that same sense of happiness and enchantment that enveloped me when I saw the flowers in person, and began to wonder why.

Why do brightly colored flowers make me happy? Do other people feel that way? Do you?

Google helped me with this question, and it’s clear that I’m not the only one. An article in Psychology today, Why Flowers Make Us Happy, explains how flowers stimulate dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. Apparently, going waaaaay back to our hunter-gatherer days, flowers signal that spring is here and the long, hard, hungry winter is ending – that makes sense! I like the idea that we’re hard-wired to appreciate flowers, that it’s literally in our DNA. It’s a fun article and I hope you’ll read it and discover the other ways the author attributes happiness to flowers.

Another article cites a Rutgers University study on the subject: “The results of this 10-month study revealed flowers to be a completely natural mood enhancer and moderator. Those involved in this research came to the conclusion that flowers have an instant impact on happiness – regardless of whether we view them in nature or receive them as a gift. Participants who took part in this study not only felt less agitated, anxious, and depressed, but they revealed an increased life satisfaction too.”