The Science of Flowers as Gifts, and Its Impact on Family Happiness

There is something very special about receiving flowers. For generations, they have been seen as a traditional gift to make people feel better when they’re ill, to say sorry or simply as a sign of love and affection.

Of course, the giving of flowers on Valentine’s day is a well-publicized event. However, they are actually given throughout the year because it’s an easy and effective way of showing affection. It doesn’t matter if this is to a partner or a child; to celebrate a birthday, or even to simply show you care.

In fact, you shouldn’t underestimate the power of children giving flowers to parents, or other family members and friends. It doesn’t just make the receiver feel good, watch your child next time you do it; they’ll light up.

Whether flowers are a one-off gift, or you give or receive flowers every month, they spread happiness and a feeling of well-being. But, why is this the case?

Is happiness from flowers real?

To begin with, it’s worth questioning whether the happiness that comes from giving and receiving flowers is real. Do we only enjoy the gift of flowers because we are traditionally supposed to? The truth is that research has shown that the smile displayed when giving and receiving flowers is a Duchenne smile. This is the name for a smile that is genuine.

When a Duchenne smile is displayed, the mouth turns up at the corners, the eyes narrow with wrinkles forming at the corners and the cheeks rise. It’s very difficult to fake this smile, so it seems as though the happiness which comes from giving and receiving flowers is real. This helps to explain why we love giving and receiving flowers so much.

If you want to see a Duchenne smile then take a look at your child, they don’t generally have a reason to fake a smile and it shows on their faces.

Flowers reduce stress levels

Happiness is not the only reason for loving the gift of flowers. They also reduce stress levels. Recent research showed that women who received flowers as a gift had stress levels that were significantly lower than women who received another gift.

But it’s not just women that benefit from this, men actually enjoy receiving flowers and it will lower their stress levels. While children may not be so eager to receive flowers as a gift they will benefit from the reduced stress levels in the household and enjoy the smell, feel, and look of the flowers.

In fact, having flowers at home can help your children to build an appreciation of nature.

Happiness for the whole family

One of the best things about flowers and one of the main reasons why we love to give and receive them is that they give joy to more than one person. When someone receives the gift of flowers, they place them in a vase in their home.

This helps to create a brighter atmosphere around the entire house and raises the spirits of everyone who lives there. The same applies when a person receives a gift of flowers in their workplace. The flowers bring joy not just to them but also to the people that they work with.

It seems that flowers really are a gift of happiness. We feel good when we give flowers to someone because it shows that we care and we feel good when we receive flowers because it shows that someone is thinking of us.

They Build Empathy

Let’s not forget that flowers are given for many reasons, but, because they always bring joy, they can help to build bonds between people.

This is particularly obvious when a child gives flowers to an older family member. It’s a simple gesture that shows they care and have empathy with others. This is something that needs to be encouraged; empathy is a crucial part of being human.

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that research into the power of giving demonstrates it really is better to give than receive.

If you want the best for your children, as most parents do; then it’s time you used the science of giving and receiving flowers to your advantage. It will brighten your home, improve your family bonds, and help your children to grow into mature, and responsible adults.

All that from simply giving flowers!