A Floral Experience And It's Physiological Effects
Although our contemporary world celebrates many triumphs of positive progression, we will never be free of events that make it feel as though we have mournfully taken ten steps back. C’est la vie, one would say. While we have to accept that circumstances stemming from a bad day to a world tragedy will always exist — we don’t have to accept an environment that reflects these fixed realities.
Through colour, texture, form and fixture, florals have been an ancient and scientifically proven force of creating a positive atmosphere. Flowers frequent so many places that we rarely spot them or slow down to take in their beauty. Whether on the table at a restaurant or the front desk of an office, scattered effectively throughout a friends home or sprawling down a gorgeous metropolitan street, the notion of recreating our own sense of beauty with florals is embedded in how we have been curating spaces for thousands of years.
Two Peonies is bringing positive floral effects to the forefront of your mind so that you can truly capture the experience, and use it to your mental advantage. For that reason, we have researched how florals and their qualities can shift your mood, engage your creativity and positively reinforce your productivity.
The Science
According to online academic directory Science Direct, the rose (just like other florals) has significant physiological effects.
To paint a picture of a flowers sensory experience, let’s take a look at the passionate rose. It is the colour of love, it’s petals soft to the touch, and thorns that can prick and sting. It was perfectly fitting that the rose was taken under the wings of the grunge scene in the 90’s. It became a staple for that idea of ‘hopeless love’, and resiliency, that although it may hurt sometimes, love is worth the pain. This perpetuation of the rose dates back to Shakespeare’s 1455 script “War of the Roses”, all the way to the title of rock band “Guns N’ Roses”. It may be safe to attest for its impact when thinking about how a rose is possibly the most popular tattoo choice, ever.
“Currently, more than half of the global population lives in an urban environment and is constantly exposed to stressors. As a result of these stressful situations in modern society, relaxation effects via exposure to natural stimuli are receiving increasing attention. Recent research has demonstrated that the natural environment plays an important role in health promotion, and that there is a positive relationship between nature-derived stimuli and human health.” - Theories of Medicine (2017)
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By measuring our heart rate variability (HRV), and oxyhemoglobin concentration, scientists were able to draw results about effects on our autonomic nervous and prefrontal cortex activity. Results showed insightful findings that have the potential to advance a new type of complementary therapy under the category of herbalism. After the study, the rose was said to have reduced HRV which is associated with sympathetic nervous activity. There was also a “significant increase in perceptions in feeling ‘comfortable’, ‘relaxed’, and ‘natural’.
“Because our modern lifestyle offers limited opportunities for contact with the natural environment, there is a growing interest in the effect of nature-derived stimuli that can be used daily on stress relief and relaxation. A representative method of achieving contact with nature in an indoor setting is exposure to foliage plants or fresh flowers, which are commonly used to decorate homes or offices.”
Sarah Camaano shot on film by Kadeem Johnson.
The physiological effects of florals doesn’t stop at the rose, rather, things get more exciting. Two Peonies would like to formally invite you to celebrate positive human health in a naturalistic, educational and design-focused setting.