Science confirms it: gardening improves mental health.
- 7 out of 10 French people take pleasure in maintaining a garden.
- 63% of French people have a garden, whether private (58%) or shared (5%).
Cultivating and maintaining a vegetable garden, lawn or plantings on a daily basis is a personal satisfaction for gardeners. And it could be that mental health also benefits, according to a study published in the journal Plos One. Scientists from the University of Florida have shown that gardening has positive effects on people’s morale, even if they have never done it before.
42 volunteers
To reach this conclusion, the researchers conducted an experiment on 42 volunteers, aged 26 to 49. The participants were all healthy but needed prescriptions to treat mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression. Half of the adults had to attend gardening sessions while the others took part in hour-long artistic creation classes. Both groups had eight sessions to perform and had to do them twice a week. At the end of the experiment, a questionnaire was completed by the participants.
According to Charles Guy, lead researcher of the study, the two chosen activities involve learning, planning, creativity and physical movement. In addition, they are used for therapeutic purposes in medical contexts.
A feeling of calm
While both groups feel an improvement in their mental health, the gardening group claims to be more peaceful. People who participated in this workshop saw a greater reduction in anxiety compared to the art-making group.
“This research already confirms the interest of gardening for mental well-being. The idea of using gardening to promote better health and well-being has been around since the 19th century. is already doing good. As a species, we are naturally drawn to plants because we depend on them for food, shelter, and survival.” said Charles Guy.
Given the small sample and the short duration of the experiment, the authors hope that other researchers will rely on this study for future experiments on this theme.
