Flowers to make us smile
The petal effect
We’ve always suspected it was the case, but now it’s been scientifically proven: flowers create positive emotions. They literally bring a smile to your face — and here’s exactly how it works.
A genuine smile
At the end of the nineteenth century, French neurologist Guillaume Duchenne discovered that, when something genuinely brings us joy, we smile spontaneously with our eyes as well as our lips. The muscles around the eyes crinkle up, creating an authentic show of happiness. This sincere smile is known as a Duchenne smile – and it’s why we’re all encouraged to smize (or smile with our eyes) when we take photos on social media.
When you give your best friend a bunch of flowers, her smile of appreciation is genuine. Research carried out by a team of evolutionary psychologists at Rutgers University Research proved that a present of flowers always caused women to smile with a true Duchenne smile.
What’s more, the positive effect of flowers lasts well after the initial moment of gift-giving. In the study, women continued to report incresed positive moods a full three days after receiving the bouquet. Flowers were proven to have a immediate, sustained mood-boosting effect on how we feel.
Back to the beginning
Our love for flowers stems from the human need to connect with nature. It’s something we all need for our health and happiness. So, if you feel like bringing joy to someone, then you know what to do. Success is scientifically guaranteed.
