A droopy plant sits beside a bin, a pot lies abandoned on the pavement, and something inside you says, “I can’t just leave it. The US National Institutes of Health’s free archive of biomedical studies, there are real psychological reasons why tending plants feels so rewarding, from a sense of purpose to a feeling of control, according to research published on PubMed Central. You’ve probably seen it, or done it yourself. None of the studies looks at rescuing plants from roadsides specifically, but together they help explain why so many of us feel that pull. Here are five ideas worth knowing.
A university study of indoor plants and wellbeing found that students liked feeling needed by their plants, without the level of commitment required to look after animals or children. Psychologists often talk about biophilia, the idea that humans have an inborn tendency to seek out contact with living things. Research on stress backs that up. A study in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found that actively interacting with indoor plants reduced physiological and psychological stress compared with doing mental work on a computer. A review of horticultural therapy likewise links plant care with lower stress, anxiety and depression. Seeing a plant thrown away can feel jarring, and saving it may be partly a way to put right something that feels wrong.