This week's Plantywoo Science special post is about our existence as humans with plants indoors and out. Follow along as Karma Finkbiner breaks down some history, insights and most importantly modern research into how plants and people come together to benefit.
As always when we present these posts were doing a two part presentation, the first part is always our slides since we find these to be the most user friendly method for everyone to learn about the science and research we are presenting, these always include a citation of our source for information and our summary of that information. The second part is always with our academics in mind - this is going to be our actual research paper which generally goes more in depth and has additional reading and research we use to reach a conclusion on our presentations and inform our summaries.
Part 1: PowerPoint Presentation Slides (35 in total).
Part 2: Research Paper (8 Pages, word count 3937, including Bibliography)
Do modern humans need natural Flora to thrive as a species?
Finkbiner, Karma. WSU Global Campus Student Research Paper Anthropology 490 – Spring 2022
Introduction:
With urbanization on the rise globally, many people are turning away from traditional lifeways such as hunting and gathering and more modernly familiar types such as agriculture and pastoral subsistence, and moving into cities and work environments progressively devoid of natural green spaces. What are the lasting effects of these changes on the human species in terms of thriving? Do we as humans function better with natural Flora around us? If so, what value do ornamental plants provide? Do we also derive benefits from indoor potted ornamental plants?
The effects of the shift toward a discord with nature have lasting implications throughout the human lifespan. Ornamental gardens and indoor gardening can help mitigate the mismatch between naturalistic environments and modern urbanization leading to a multitude of benefits for humans in terms of thriving as a species. Perhaps the first stop we should make is in operationalizing what I mean by thriving. In this instance I’m looking at thriving as a state of peak performance and holistic health – physical , psychological, cognitive, emotional, and social. There has been much debate as to what thriving means in general (Brown, Arnold, Fletcher, & Standage, 2017), so it is with this definition of thriving that we will continue this discussion going forward.
During my discussion I will cover a brief history of agriculture, gardening, and ornamental plants, the benefits of plants in multiple settings including outdoor personal and public greenspaces, physical verses visual stimuli of greenspaces, the effects of plants and greenspaces throughout the human lifespan, differences in access to natural greenspaces due to long-standing colonialism and urbanization in the united states and abroad, as well as the benefits of indoor ornamental plants. This paper is by no means a compendium of available research nor a fully comprehensive discussion on the topic, but is rather an introductory overview of the topic and launching point for subsequent research.
History:
One of the earliest examples in art history which I was able to find of potted plants was in the Stele of the Vulture, a monument from the Early Dynastic III period of 2600-2350BCE in Mesopotamia, a section of which depicts the watering of a potted plant. At this point agriculture was taking a stronghold in this area, as well as pottery, glass making, and early aqueducts being newer technologies – all of which contribute to our modern abilities to garden the way we do in todays societies.
Consequently, the Egyptians had brought plants indoors as early as the third Century BCE and evidence from Pompeii suggests indoor gardening was in use prior to 2,000 years ago (bringslimark, Hartig, & Patil, 2009). The Ara Pacis from the first century CE is an example of the Roman depiction of orchids (Kumbaric, Savo, & Caneva, 2013) which are now a very popular house plant. Art history is filled with imagery of gardens, greenspaces, and individual plants, likewise a great deal of folklore, mythology, and even cosmologies incorporate flora and the various locals they belong to. As a species we have depended on plant materials throughout history and prehistory for a large portion of our subsistence and settlement needs.
Agriculture has independently cropped up in multiple cultures throughout human history, and humans in hunting and gathering groups have always had an intrinsic relationship with edible, medicinal, and otherwise useful plants – many different types of dwellings are constructed using plant materials, basketry likewise is a technology heavily dependent on plant materials, pottery is produced using plants materials included in both the clay and in the firing and glazing processes – raku a low firing technique is often owed it’s coloration due to various plant materials added into the firing process.
The advent of agriculture and it’s driving forces and relationship to humans is much debated, with proponents on multiple sides, however a modern theory on the evolution of agriculture sees fit to place it as a mutualism – with the domestication of plant species being the inescapable byproduct of highly symbiotic relationships between plants and people (Rindos, Aschmann, Bellwood, CECI, Cohen, Hutchinson, Santley, Shaffer & Shaw, 1980). This theory is echoed in more recent works by Wilson, Kendal & Moore (2016) who propose that ornamental plants likewise benefit from a mutualistic relationship with humans who derive certain benefits from those plants, in turn benefitting those plants by direct and indirect cultivation and care. The authors note that humans have a strong attraction to ornamental plants as well as physical, psychological and cognitive responses to ornamental plants (Wilson, Kendal, & Moore, 2016) which we will delve into shortly.
Modern gardening practices indoors and out have seen an increase in technology which is used in the production and cultivation of both edible and ornamental plants, one of the great technological advancements in floriculture in general has been the invention of the greenhouse which to my knowledge took place just before the Victorian era in Europe - however, too many individuals and countries are credited with the first invention of the greenhouse for me to be certain which can lay official claim to its invention. Other technologies include the use of aqueducts and irrigation, the advancements in both planting media, our understanding of nutrient cycles, as well as care culture for various plants.
The Advent of greenhouses is owed in large part to the invention of the modern window panes as well as modern industrial metal working which allowed for large conservatories and greenhouses to be constructed although cost prohibitive and reserved primarily for upper classes who could afford such luxury. This coupled with colonialization across the globe at the time led to an increase in the import and export of exotic and tropical plant species. Many of which were hunted to Extinction due to a lack of knowledge about the care needs and culture of the individual plants and a drastic mismatch between growing environments abroad and their native natural habitats.
Outside of WEIRD, culture groups around the globe have cultivated house plants and some pretty impressive gardens such as the hanging gardens of Babylon, as well as the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans who were all known to cultivate plants indoors and out, The ancient art of bonsai (which is a fun fact is actually a Chinese invention but is popularized by the Japanese use of the art form) has also been around a considerable amount of time. Additionally around the globe in any place where agriculture and even some hunting and gathering groups have been concerned small plot gardening or small-scale cultivation through slash and burn, clearing of competing plants, selective harvesting, etc. have been commonplace for centuries.
As I stated the modern history of house plants is heavily entrenched in colonialism, tropical plants have been in high demand since the Victorian era when where they were seen as a status symbol - with later home gardeners in about the 1920s picking up the houseplant craze starting in the United States the habit of keeping house plants as a pastime. At that time it was also prevalent for the import and export of plant bulbs for ornamental gardening. My own neighborhood has several Iris and tulip bulbs as well as daffodils and some other bulbs which primarily originate from Holland and other locations around the globe which have become naturalized in our environment in the past 100 years, in addition to multiple native plant species which have been selectively cultivated.
Currently house plants are now a multi-billion dollar industry with upwards of 70% of the plants dying between production and the first weeks in a new home - this is keeping in track with the historical import and export rates of death for plant species coming from tropical environments to less hospitable home growing environments and conservatories. Modern laws now prevent the import and export of many endangered and extinct species. However, the damage already done cannot be undone. Additionally the modern trade in rare and exotic plants has also seen an increase in the illegal plant trade. House plants are still considered to be a status symbol among many groups with some plants fetching thousands of dollars on private markets around the globe. Other plants have been successfully cultivated and reproduced in mass and are available widespread to the public with less cost prohibition. Cheap plastic and aluminum greenhouses can now be purchased on the open market and do not require a full labor force of metal workers and glass workers to produce large conservatories. However there still exists a large disparity between economic and social classes as well as racial and culture groups in both access to and prevalence of gardening practices.
Benefits of gardening & greenspaces:
Perhaps the best known benefits of plants concerning humans has to do with diet – as great sources of vital nutrients and minerals there’s little argument left that a healthy diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains is good for us – but only 10% of domesticated plants are actually edible. So why would we put so much time and effort into something we can’t eat? Extended evolutionary synthesis where culture and evolutionary forces joined together in driving the domestication of ornamental plants for human aesthetic enjoyment may help explain why so many varieties are not only kept but modified by humans. In addition to uses for agricultural purposes ornamental plants lay somewhere in the realm of psychological, sociological, and practical purposes for their cultivation; gardens provide for complex sensory environments and experiences. Many home gardeners strike a balance between sight, smell, taste and touch, while many also include hearing - the sound of a garden alone can be quite remarkable. They also fulfill elements of personal aesthetics, and self-expression in addition to being aspects of our social hierarchy past and present (Altman, Shennan, & Odling-Smee, 2021).
Many humans suffer in the absence of stimulation for any one of our sensory experiences, for people who have lost their sight, non-24 can be a real problem, the lack of being able to tell days from night can cause catastrophic disruptions to the circadian rhythm, likewise things like smell - experience many people around the globe are currently experiencing the loss of with the covid-19 pandemic - can have lasting physical and psychological consequences. Clearly stimulation of all of our senses is necessary for humans to thrive – and gardens provide a source of stimuli for all of our major senses.
Trees in particular have a wide range of benefits on their own – outside of economic benefits in their use in forestry, building supplies, and beautification of property; trees help encourage physical activity, remove pollutants increasing air quality, aid in stress reduction, create spaces for social and communal cohesion and connections, as well as influencing children’s attention span and even test scores on standardized testing. Trees also help provide shade and cooling, giving humans a break from ever increasing summer temperatures and help mitigate storm water flooding (Turner-Skoff & Cavender, 2019).
Trees are a hallmark of what we call greenspaces, a manicured lawn does not possess the same impact as forested spaces in general when it comes to ecological, economic, physical, mental, social and cognitive health benefits – grass lawns in general also do not do the same legwork that other species of plants including trees do in terms of promoting shade, faunal refuge & food supply, and storm water mitigation because their roots do not create an adequate depth within the subsurface layers of soil. So going forward, when I say greenspaces, please keep in mind that we are operationalizing them here as synonymous with forested and landscaped areas including native and non native ornamental plants.
You may be wondering at this point if you need to be physically present in a greenspace to reap the benefits of one, as it turns out simply being able to visualize a greenspace or plants can provide benefits, so while it isn’t strictly necessary to be in a park, forest or garden, or to have a pile of plants on your desk, you may ideally wish to have a window view of one of those sources of flora stimuli.
Grinder and Patil (2009) present in the field of environment and public health research review on the topic of nature as a visual stimuli for human health and Wellbeing. To answer the question of why do plants effect us so fundamentally, Grindr and Patil offer an in depth review of existing literature on the topic of Biophilia – and the mismatch/discord between the human need for natural habitat as a moderating factor in human health and well-being, findings suggesting that nature plays an integral role in health and wellness including that merely the ability to visualize nature has a significant effect in and of itself (Grinder & Patil, 2009)
The mental and psychological benefits of time spent in nature start early in the human lifespan; early and frequent exposure to nature may be predictive of adult personality traits, notably reducing neuroticism, predominantly anxiety and depression and increasing openness in the forms of creativity and imagination (Snell, Simmonds & Klein, 2020). So not only does gardening provide a means for self expression – it may help improve expressive abilities in addition to other psychological benefits.
The Human Lifespan as it pertains to plants, gardens & greenspaces:
Children’s play is often foundational of adult work, children are great imitators who learn exceptionally well through watching and performing what they see. Children’s play and work is often predicted by the subsistence strategy engaged in by a culture group, while most play activities occur outside of direct adult supervision and away from homes and settlements, many children play and “work” in similar environments as their caregivers and in similar ways – in hunter-gatherer, horticultural, agricultural and pastoral societies much of this takes place in the bush, jungle, or other natural spaces surrounding their settlement (Ember & Cunnar, 2015) however, in Western societies leading up to industrialization that meant most children worked and played in agricultural settings, however with modernization and industrialization and ever growing Urban landscape many children are no longer working and playing the way humans have for a majority of our history.
Impacts of this shift in economies can have lasting impacts on children and subsequently societies as a whole. Not only do humans and children in particular benefit mentally and physically from frequent exposure to flora dense environments, research suggests that higher levels of green spaces and access to them influences the formation of beneficial pro-social behaviors (Putra, Astell-Burt, Cliff, Vella, John and Feng, 2020). Prosocial behaviors contribute and influence lifelong habits in how we interact and participate in society and social settings with one another. While the definition of what behaviors are pro-social may very specifically by culture group, in general they are actions meant to benefit others or those which conform to being socially acceptable; prosocial behaviors such as other regarding impulses and aptitudes are a benchmark of emotionally modern humans, and may have ties in evolution rather than merely cultural acquisition (Meehan & Crittenden, 2016).
Economics throughout the lifespan are also influenced by access to Green spaces. Total amount of Green space is heavily correlated to Childhood and subsequent adult socioeconomic status, children raised in environments with more vegetative cover earn more than their counterparts in less vegetative density areas. These disparities may be attributable to the plethora of fiscal and socioeconomic factors attributed to tracts matching those descriptions respectively but the growing body of knowledge also suggests that the presence or absence of plants and natural environment has profound effects on physical, psychological and developmental health starting in early childhood and lasting a lifetime. Skills and traits which promote social mobility such as good health and cognitive functions, creativity and emotional intelligence are well documented positive outcomes associated with early and frequent exposure to, and engagement in and with green spaces (Browning & Rigolon, 2019).
Research by Landau, McClure and Dickson suggests that BIPOC, lower SES individuals, and families with children are more likely to live in areas with high levels of human modification and subsequently less access to nature, as such the effects of things such as covid-19 lockdowns have been more prevalent on children from these groups due to the loss of educational and childcare activities these children depended on for social structure and activities they were usually accustomed to - including outdoor play time, which often takes place in settings where parks and playgrounds are usually accessed safely such as schools, these effects are even more pronounced on children from BIPOC and lower SES communities since they are most likely to already be deprived of nature due to geographical and economical constraints (Landau, McClure & Dickson, 2020).
Benefits of interacting in green spaces, particularly gardens are not limited to youth but in fact serve throughout the human lifespan into aging and decline. In addition to physical health, gardening provides low impact activities, a myriad of psychological benefits, as well as a means of creativity and self-expression, engagement in self-sufficiency through producing fruits and vegetables, for the continuation of early life activities such as hobbies and interests, continued life purpose and meaning, satisfaction of nurturing, ongoing connection with community, friends and family, as well as generational passing of knowledge, new skill acquisition, and cooperative activities for older adults, additionally gardening may provide for the reduction of loneliness and isolation felt by aging populations (Wright, & Wadsworth, 2024).
Benefits of indoor ornamental plants:
We have spent a bulk of this discussion focused on green spaces and outdoor gardening and recreation within them – but we have yet to discuss the benefits of bringing plants into the home. While some popular research that may come to mind concerns indoor air quality and mitigating pollution indoors, I would like to focus on a few closing points concerning the treatment of ailments such as injury or sickness, as well as benefits to cognitive function, mental health and mood.
Potted indoor plants may aid in reducing stress as well as increasing pain tolerance (Bringslimark, Hartig, & Patil, 2009), this is particularly useful in terms of healing from an injury or physical/mental sickness or disease management. So while it may seem that gifting plants as get well soon or condolence gifts is a cultural phenomena, the tradition may be well rooted in the benefits the gift actually impart – not merely a gesture of sympathy, but a practical way of helping family, friends and community members heal and manage illness and troubling times.
Evidence also suggests increased attention and performance can be obtained through the presence of indoor plants (Raanaas, Evensen, Rich, Sjostrom, & Patil, 2012). This is particularly useful in work environments where we may find ourselves physically inactive such as office work, which can be tedious at best. So while an office with a view of the park may be nice, we can still reap the benefits of flora stimuli in the form of a potted companion to boost our performance and keep us on task through yet another hump day.
Additionally the presence of indoor plants can influence emotional positivity and the reduction of negative emotions (Han & Ryan, 2019) and is backed by physiological evidence which supports that humans not only self report higher levels of comfort with potted plant stimuli present, but in fact are more comfortable, this is evidenced by EEG, ECG oxyhaemoglobin saturation, fingertip blood flow, skin resistance and respiration rate testing (Qin, Sun, Zhou Leng, & Lien, 2014). So it seems a potted plant may well help us out of a slump, or make an otherwise uncomfortable dwelling or work environment a little more pleasant to be stuck in.
Conclusion:
A myriad of physical, psychological, cognitive, emotional, social, ecological and economic benefits exist supporting the idea that humans thrive when plants are present, our unique history as a species has seen the technological and subsistence shifts between early evolutionary lifeways and modern ones, with it we may well as a species be succumbing to a discord by leaving naturalistic environments in favor (perhaps not preference) of industrial and urbanized ones. Our obsession with plants indoors and out may also be a byproduct of mutualism between plants and humans throughout our evolution. Though we may experience challenges with modern living environments awareness of the benefits to humans derived from living plants in our immediate and surrounding environments may help mitigate problems which arise in our modern living and working arrangements and help us thrive as a species.
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