Florist Society’s Solution to Stress: A Little Flower Power

The Society of American Florists has a message for America: “Flower power” is back in style.

This week, SAF kicked off a new campaign with the help of an old Volkswagen bus—christened the “Flower Power Mobile”—in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, home of the 1960s hippie movement. But while its styling is a little retro, its message is up to date for stressed-out times. In a nutshell: Flowers are a good for your mood and mental well-being.

That’s particularly true among women, according to research  (opens in a new tab) from the University of North Florida. Women who received flowers had lower stress levels than those who didn’t, according to the Perceived Stress Questionnaire, a standardized way of measuring a person’s stress levels.

“Our findings are important from a public health perspective because adding flowers to reduce stress does not require tremendous effort to generate a meaningful effect,” lead researcher Erin Largo-Wight, Ph.D., said in comments to SAF’s AboutFlowers website  (opens in a new tab). “When life seems to be in a constant state of frenzy, flowers can provide us with a much-needed moment of calm.”

Which brings us back to why the society paid a visit to Haight-Ashbury this week, the first stop on a tour during Stress Awareness Month.

“Flower power is absolutely real and provides a moment of calm we all need in the fast-paced world we live in,” SAF Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Sparks said in a news release  (opens in a new tab). “What was intuitive in the ‘60s has been proven by contemporary research. We’re returning to where it all began to pay homage to the past and boost the moods of those who receive flowers—and hopefully everyone who sees us driving by.”

The tour plans stops along the West Coast, including Portland, Oregon, and Seattle. The campaign is also making content and marketing resources available  (opens in a new tab) to florists who want to help their communities de-stress.

(Handout photo)