 | Dorm Plants: Beyond Their Beauty or Pleasing Appearance
by Beate Schwirtlich
Science confirms what we already know. Plants make people feel better. They benefit us in a way any student who has ever looked up from a book at cold cinder block dorm walls at 3:30 in the morning will appreciate. One researcher describes the plant world as "non-threatening and non-discriminatory". Studies into what are called people-plant interactions show that people benefit from just being near plants and gardens.
Among the findings:
- being near plants improves concentration and lessens mental fatigue.
- hospital patients with a garden view got well faster and needed less pain killer than patients whose windows looked out at the wall of another building.
- People who have houseplants are calmer and more receptive. Interaction with plants makes people more receptive to each other as well.
- prison inmates with cell windows overlooking greenery are less stressed and less likely to get sick than other prisoners.
- a study of 4,000 horticulturalists found that a sense of peace and tranquility and a chance to appreciate beauty were the best benefits of gardening, according to the gardeners themselves.
- just looking at a plant can lessen feelings of stress, fear, anger, and can reduce muscle tension.
- a 1988 Gallup opinion poll found that 88 per cent of those surveyed agreed plants were important "beyond their beauty or pleasing appearance."
That’s a lot of good vibes packed into one or two windowsill-sized plants. One biologist asserts that the human connection with nature has, throughout history, been not a luxury but a necessity. That connection, the biologist argues, explains why we react so positively to nature today. According to the research, the pleasant feelings we get from being close to nature can actually improve our health.
A spider plant in a dorm room will not only make you feel good: it will also clean the air. Plants produce oxygen while consuming carbon dioxide, and filter toxins from the air, specifically Trichloroethylene, Formaldehyde, and Benzene. These manufactured chemicals are pollutants that have ended up in our air and water. (Benzene, a chemical made of coal and oil, is also produced by volcanoes and forest fires.) They are used in industry and in the home, things like wood products, plastics, detergents and pesticides, and solvents or glue. Compounds like these can move or `off-gas’ from a product into the air. All are unhealthy to breathe. Plants absorb these chemicals and produce oxygen at the same time. A NASA study (looking into methods of cleaning astronaut air in space) found that spider plants, pothos and philodendrons filter toxins most efficiently.
Luckily many of the plants that best clean the air can handle the tough conditions of dorm living too.
Certain plants thrive in adversity. Plants such as these will clean the air, clear your mind, and survive the tough conditions of dorm living too. They can handle sleepless nights, loud music, bad food, too much water or too little, and too much heat or cold. And they, unlike some other creatures, will never complain.
Dracaena, Aloe Vera, Mums, Gerbera Daisies, Ivy Bamboo Palm. Mauna Loa, Chinese Evergreen, Burn Plant, Ficus, and Dumbcane are other air-cleaning wonder plants for your living space.
Web bibliography and references
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Above Illustration by Lorraine High
Jump ahead to Part 2 of this article: 8 Easy Care Dorm Plants
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