Health Matters

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The many health perks of houseplants

By Angela Haupt

Editor, Health and Wellness

One of the first things I discovered after becoming a “plant person” is how much math it requires. There are the basic logistical equations: What’s the best fertilizer ratio, soil chemistry, and watering frequency? But also: How many more plants can I reasonably afford, and how many will fit in my house?

The answer doesn’t matter; it’ll never be enough. I love houseplants for countless reasons, including their beauty and the thrill of nurturing them and watching them grow. I've also long suspected they make make healthier and happier, so I asked some horitculture experts if that's true.

The answer was a resounding "yes." Houseplants can reduce anxiety, sharpen attention and productivity, and brighten your outlook. “We see a clear connection with the fact that being around plants improves cortisol levels in our body,” Melinda Knuth, an assistant professor of horticultural science at North Carolina State University, told me. “We hold our stress hormone, cortisol, in our saliva, and we know this is decreased when we’re around plants.” That's all the permission I need to buy a few new ones this weekend.

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ONE LAST READ

Mental health in the pressure-cooker world of food

The high-end restaurant industry can be an emotional crucible, subjecting prep cooks, servers, and others in the food-service food chain (pun intended) to an environment that can be challenging and even toxic for even the most mentally resilient individuals.

Annabelle Timsit, writing for the Washington Post, looks at how some of the world’s greatest chefs are working to ensure their staff’s mental health is a priority in situations where their restaurants suffer one of the industry’s most discomforting setbacks: losing a Michelin star.

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Today's newsletter was written by Angela Haupt and Elijah Wolfson, and edited by Mandy Oaklander.

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