Why Houseplants Make The Perfect Study Buddy For Students
Houseplants can bring a world of benefits to student life, which can often be hectic and stressful as they face a new term full of assignments, exams and deadlines. Cue the extensive range of perfect houseplants available at Squire’s Garden Centres! The lush greenery can be a simple and affordable addition to make studying just a little bit easier, bringing benefits of improving focus, boosting mental wellbeing – as well as a reminder of home.
Houseplants offer an amazing array of mental, physical, and emotional advantages, while adding aesthetic beauty to a room, making them the perfect addition for an area of study. Houseplants can breathe life into a space while making it a little bit easier for students to succeed in both academic and personal lives.
Enhancing Cognitive Function and Focus
Houseplants actively contribute to a better learning environment, with scientific research showing that the presence of plants can increase productivity and improve concentration. The University of Exeter found that productivity in work environments increased by a significant 15% when plants were present*. This improvement can be attributed to the fact that the presence of plants reduces mental fatigue adding a freshness to the air helping to make it easier to focus on complex tasks.
Improving Air Quality for Better Sleep
Houseplants can purify the air in a room. Houseplants can remove up to 87% of air toxins in just 24 hours*, including harmful pollutants like benzene, formaldehyde and carbon dioxide, which are often present in urban living spaces, particularly shared spaces ( – think college accommodation). Poor air quality can irritate the airways, contributing to a lack of focus or even illness – both enemies of student life.
Houseplants release oxygen and increase humidity in the room, which are important for ‘good’ sleep, which is essential for students to be alert, helping retain information and have productive study sessions. A well-rested brain is more effective at processing and retaining new information, which can lead to improved academic performance.
Reducing Stress and Boosting Emotional Well-Being
In addition, caring for plants can have a truly therapeutic effect, reducing stress and offering a calm, peaceful break from busy student schedules. Activities like watering, pruning, and tending to plants provide a hands-on, mindful experience that can lower blood pressure, reduce heart rates as well as encourage feelings of contentment.
Paula Talbot, Squire’s Houseplant Expert, comments: “Having houseplants dotted about our living space brings many benefits indeed. Being surrounded by greenery has been linked to positive emotional responses in people. Looking after a plant – watching it grow and develop can bring real pleasure with a sense of nurturing a living thing, which in turn can boost self-esteem and confidence as well as bring a sense of calm to a space. All this is great for students who may be anxious or homesick. And they make the perfect leaving home gift too – connecting the recipient to someone special from home.”
Bringing a Sense of Home to Student Life
Houseplants can serve as more than just decorative, carrying a sentimental connection to home. They make a perfect gift from a parent or sibling and might just help park any feelings of homesickness as they not only remind a student of who gifted it to them but also bring a sense of calmness. These easy-to-care for plants can make a space feel more personal and lived-in – just like home helping transform a stark student room into a cozy, welcoming space.
Paula’s Guide to Easy-to-Care for Houseplants for Students
Succulent – offers an exceptionally tolerant and low maintenance plant, which needs minimal watering
Peace Lily – an elegant plant, enjoying the humidity of a kitchen or bathroom – so great for shared spaces!
Kalanchoe – offers a pop of colour with pretty sprigs of long lasting flowers and requires little watering.
Calathea – a tropical plant with striking leaves, it grows quickly and requires plenty of light.
Cactus – a bright and neat addition to a new home, it needs little water and enjoys lots of light.
Anthurium Champion – with striking ‘flamingo flowers’, an easy to care for tropical plant, which requires watering every 1-2 weeks
Houseplants can offer a simple, effective solution to help students thrive both academically and emotionally. From increasing focus and cognitive function to improving air quality and reducing stress – houseplants make the perfect affordable study buddy
