How rose brings happiness to human life? 

For more than 5000 years, people have cultivated flowers for values and benefits that were only intuitive or subjective but not accessible for scientific analysis. Research in the past two decades has demystified such unexplained interactions between human beings and flowers.  

Rose flowers have long been recognized for their ability to evoke strong emotions in humans. Scientific research has begun to uncover the specific mechanisms by which roses affect our emotions, as well as the specific emotional responses they elicit. 

One of the key ways in which roses influence our emotions is through their impact on the limbic system, which is the part of the brain responsible for emotional processing. Studies have shown that the scent of roses can activate the limbic system, leading to increased activity in areas of the brain associated with emotion, such as the amygdala and the hypothalamus. This increased activity can lead to a variety of emotional responses, including feelings of pleasure, relaxation, and even decreased anxiety. 

In addition to their impact on the limbic system, roses also have an effect on the release of hormones and neurotransmitters in the body. For example, the scent of roses has been shown to increase the release of dopamine and serotonin, which are both associated with feelings of pleasure and well-being. Additionally, the scent of roses has been found to decrease the levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress and anxiety. 

A sample of scientific evidence  

In a paper published in Evolution Psychology in 2005, researchers presented findings of three different studies in which they made an attempt to unveil how flowers induce positive human emotions. They summarise the findings:  

• In Study 1, flowers, upon presentation to women, always elicited the Duchenne or true smile. Women who received flowers reported more positive moods 3 days later.  
• In Study 2, a flower given to men or women in an elevator elicited more positive social behavior than other stimuli.  
• In Study 3, flowers presented to elderly participants (55+ age) elicited positive mood reports and improved episodic memory. 

These findings proved that flowers have immediate and long-term effects on emotional reactions, mood, and social behaviors.  Use of flower in social interactions even boasted the memory for both men and women. Such positive impacts of flower on human psychology existed long before science understood.  

In another paper published by the Journal Frontiers Psychology on 20 March 2017, researchers demonstrated through their empirical research that as Valentine’s Day neared, people in the United States evaluated roses more positively, together with chocolates.  

The paper further states:  

“in the U.S., there may be nothing more iconic of Valentine’s Day than a gift of red roses and a box of chocolates. Each year, approximately $1.7 billion are spent on chocolates and $2.1 billion on flowers around Valentine’s Day”. 

In evaluating the rose, as the paper further highlights, people bring to mind the physical features, related experiences of the past, including desired and feared, and relevance to current goals. What this means is that people’s choice of rose flower is not just a random act; it is indeed happens through complex psychological process of cognition, reflection and analysis.  

Rose brings us closer in relationship  

Roses also have an effect on our social interactions and relationships. A study conducted in 2010 by Herz and colleagues found that the scent of roses can increase feelings of trust and social closeness, as well as improve communication and cooperation among individuals. This suggests that roses may have a role in facilitating healthy relationships and social connections. 

One of the unique things about roses is that their emotional impact is not limited to the sense of smell. Research has also found that the visual appearance of roses can affect our emotions. A 2012 study by Haviland-Jones and colleagues found that viewing images of roses can lead to increased feelings of contentment and satisfaction, and that the more complex the rose image, the more intense the emotional response. 

Key messages 

The scientific evidence is clear;  roses have a powerful impact on human emotions. Their ability to influence the limbic system, hormone and neurotransmitter release, and social interactions all contribute to the emotional responses they elicit.  

The research suggests that roses have a powerful impact on human emotions and incorporating roses into our daily lives could have a positive impact on our emotional well-being 

Science highlights the potential therapeutic value of roses, and suggests that incorporating roses into our daily lives could have a positive impact on our emotional well-being. 

Roses have been long associated with human emotions for centuries and recent scientific research has begun to uncover the specific mechanisms by which roses affect our emotions. Roses have been found to activate the limbic system, which is the part of the brain responsible for emotional processing. Roses also affect the release of hormones and neurotransmitters in the body, and have been found to increase feelings of trust and social closeness and to facilitate healthy relationships and social connections.  

Roses also have an effect on our visual perception and viewing images of roses can lead to increased feelings of contentment and satisfaction.