Can Decorating For Fall Make You Happier?
Updating your home for the new season is more than just a fun thing to do — it could actually benefit your mental health, too.
The following is taken from recently published findings within a study by Dr. Elaina DellaCava, a psychiatrist at New York’s Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. You can read the entire article here…
Have you ever just looked at a display of pumpkins, gourds and Halloween lights at a neighbor’s house (or even in your own home) and felt instantly happier? Well, there’s a scientific explanation for that. For many people, one of those pleasures is the simple act of decorating for fall. Decorating for the season may benefit your mental health. The colors of fall can evoke happy feelings.
“Colors can influence our mood and can actually create a surge of dopamine, which is our happiness hormone, Traditions give us something to look forward to.”
Another 2020 study found that the color orange; often seen in popular fall decorations like pumpkins, autumn leaves and Halloween string lights, is associated with and enhances joy and overall positive feelings. So, those pumpkins on your table may actually make you happier when you catch a glimpse of them. The same research also showed that yellow, another popular color for fall home decor, is associated with feelings of joy and amusement. Decorations can make you feel connected with times you remember fondly, and that can help your mood and general sense of well-being. Whether you realize it or not, decorating for fall every year means that you officially have a decorating tradition. And this is a good thing for your mental health.
We celebrate Halloween in a big way at the garden center. Our entire garden center is transformed into spectacular and at time spooky themed setting. We have hay bales and scarecrows, ghosts, goblins and witches, seasonal color plants and containers, signs, corn stalks and what-not, lots of jack-o-lantern pumpkins (some painted) and of course, gorgeous mums. Pumpkins and ornamental gourds of all shapes, sizes and colors will add interest to any seasonal or Halloween display. Add a scarecrow or two and a few jack-o-lanterns,
To create a harvest-time look this Halloween, place bales of hay in your garden beds and around the lawn. Surround the bales with corn stalks, colorful gourds and festive-looking Indian corn. Then add some splashes of color with our ornamental peppers in a variety of color and shapes, some chrysanthemums and aster and you can even hollow out a pumpkin and plant it for a unique and unusual yet lovely focal point. Pick a bunch, then place them all around your yard. Try clustering groups of them around your shrubs or within your landscaped beds, or perhaps cascade several down your porch steps.
We tend to believe we have everything you need to “dazzle” your family, friends, and neighbors. Make sure to stop by with your Halloween decorating list and bring the little ones along to have some fun. You can lurk around the Pumpkin Patch or walk the Haunted Path with scary ghouls and creatures, and then there are some cute creatures for the little ones in our petting zoo where children can interact with some friendly farm animals and make some furry friends.
