I love flowers! From roses, daisies, and sunflowers, it’s impossible to choose a favourite. Whenever I see flowers blooming outside or receive a bouquet, my day becomes a lot brighter.

I’m sure you can relate to this feeling. Science shows that there is a reason we feel happy whenever we see flowers. In our brains, there are neurotransmitters called dopamine, which is a hormone that “rewards” us by making us feel good.

Back when our hunter-gatherer ancestors were looking for food, seeing flowers signaled the end of winter and the start of spring, which brought with it an abundance of food. The bright colours also helped make flowers easily identifiable to our ancestors. Today we don’t need to hunt for our food, but our brains still release dopamine upon seeing flowers because of their beauty.

When looking at flowers, our brain also releases oxytocin (aka the “love hormone”). Oxytocin helps us bond with people, whether they’re romantic partners or friends. When someone gives you flowers, it creates a level of trust and attachment to that person.

Flowers make us feel good because of what they represent: beauty, intention, and fragility. So while they don’t last forever, we have all the more reason to enjoy them while we still have them.

By Daria Horbal, BSc. Phm.