Buying yourself flowers can feel like a small indulgence — something nice, but not exactly necessary. Turns out, the research disagrees. Two major university studies, one from Rutgers and one from Harvard, have looked closely at what flowers actually do to the brain, and the results make a pretty strong case that your brain genuinely needs them.
What Rutgers Found
Researchers at Rutgers University ran a study looking at how people respond, emotionally and behaviourally, to receiving flowers. Every single participant showed a genuine, unmistakable smile the moment flowers were presented — not a polite one, but a true smile of the kind researchers can actually measure. What’s more striking is how long the effect lasted: participants reported feeling happier and less anxious for several days afterward, not just in that first moment of delight.
What Harvard Found
Over at Harvard Medical School, researcher Nancy Etcoff studied what happens when people simply live with flowers in their homes for about a week. The results were just as compelling: people reported fewer episodes of anxiety and fewer depressed feelings while flowers were present, along with an increase in feelings of compassion toward others. The presence of flowers was also linked to more contact with family and friends — as if a bit of colour and life in a room made people just a little more inclined to reach out and connect.
Your Brain on Flowers
Put both studies together and a clear picture starts to form: flowers aren’t just decoration, they’re a genuine mood regulator. They’ve been shown to ease anxiety, lift mood, and even support creativity — likely because something as simple as fresh colour and scent in a room gives the brain a small, consistent signal that things are good, worth noticing, worth savouring.
So, Buy Yourself the Flowers
You don’t need an occasion, and you definitely don’t need to wait for someone else to think of it. If a bouquet on your counter can genuinely shift your mood for days, ease a bit of anxiety, and even nudge you to call a friend you’ve been meaning to reach out to — that’s not indulgence. That’s simply giving your brain something it responds to. Buy the flowers. Your brain will thank you for it.
Pair It With Something Just as Considered
If you’re building a full moment out of it, our Tray Collection is one of our favourite ways to go further than flowers alone. Each tray is finished with Trudon and Dr. Vranjes candles and diffusers, layering scent into the same mood-lifting effect flowers already bring into a room. It’s a genuinely perfect gift — for yourself, or for someone else who could use a reminder to slow down.
Find us here !
Bliss Flower Boutique at Jumeirah Beach Road