The idea of using gardening to improve health and well-being, called therapeutic gardening, has been around since the 19th century. A new study claims that healthy people can improve their mental well-being by working with plants. jpg” class=”img-fluid” alt=”Gardening can improve mental health – scientists” /> 18779
Scientists from the University of Florida found that gardening, when done twice a week, reduced stress, anxiety and depression in healthy women. However, none of the study participants had ever gardened before.
“Past research has shown that gardening helps improve the mental health of people with existing illnesses or problems. Our study shows that healthy people can also improve their mental well-being through gardening,” said lead author Charles Guy.
The study involved 32 healthy women aged 26 to 49 years. Half of the participants were engaged in gardening, and the other half – drawing. “Both gardening and art activities involve learning, planning, creativity and physical movement, and both are used for therapeutic purposes in medical settings. This makes them more scientifically comparable than, for example, gardening and bowling or gardening and reading,” the scientists explained.
In gardening classes, women learned to compare and sow replant different types of plants, harvest and taste edible plants. Those who participated in art classes learned papermaking, printmaking, drawing, and collage.
After the experiment ended, the participants rated their mental health for anxiety, depression, stress, and overall mood. The researchers found that both groups reported improved mental health over time, with gardeners reporting slightly less anxiety than artists.
Given the relatively small number of participants and the length of the study, the scientists still were able to show evidence of what medical clinicians would call the dosed effect of gardening, that is, how much a person needs to garden to see an improvement in mental health.
The idea of using gardening to improve health and well-being, called therapeutic horticulture, has existed since the 19th century. But why does communication with plants make us feel good? The answer can be found in the important role of plants in human evolution and the development of civilization, the authors of the study explain. We are attracted to plants and activities with them because we depend on them for food, shelter and other means of our survival.