Floriography and Feelings: How Flowers Shape our Emotions

Flowers in silence seem to breathe such thoughts as language cannot tell.

L. Burke, The Illustrated Language of Flowers

References

[1] Yaniv Flowers (2025). The history of flower giving: A timeless tradition. https://yanivflowers.com/the-history-of-flower-giving-a-timeless-tradition/

[2] Museum selection (n.d.). Victorian language of flowers. Available at: https://planterraevents.com/blog/floriography-secret-language-flowers-victorian-era

[3] Planterra plants (n.d.) Floriography: The secret language of flowers in the Victorian era. Available at: https://planterraevents.com/blog/floriography-secret-language-flowers-victorian-era

[4] Thursd (2024). The most popular holidays in the flower industry. Available at: https://thursd.com/articles/most-popular-holidays-in-the-flower-industry

[5] Florists’ Review. (2025). Valentine’s Day spending trends. Available at: https://floristsreview.com/valentines-day-spending-trends/

[6] Creative Review (2025). FTD (1917) – Say it with flowers. Available at: https://www.creativereview.co.uk/say-it-with-flowers/

[7] Hakim, A. (2020). Flowers are more expensive on Valentine’s Day: Yes it’s true. Available at: https://www.therakyatpost.com/living/2020/02/14/flowers-are-more-expensive-on-valentines-day-yes-its-true/

[9] Lai, Y. C., & Huang, L. C. (2013). The effect of relationship characteristics on buying fresh flowers as romantic Valentine’s Day gifts. HortTechnology, 23(1), 28-37. https://www,doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH.23.1.28

[10] Haviland-Jones, J., Rosario, H. H., Wilson, P., & McGuire, T. R. (2005). An environmental approach to positive emotion: Flowers. Evolutionary Psychology, 3(1), 147470490500300109. https://doi.org/10.1177/147470490500300109

[11] Zhang, L., Dempsey, N., & Cameron, R. (2023). Flowers–Sunshine for the soul! How does floral colour influence preference, feelings of relaxation and positive up-lift? Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 79, 127795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2022.127795

[12] Ai, L., Wang, H., Feng, Y., Li, T., Li, Z., Zou, M., & Zhang, Q. (2025). The healing power of Camellia japonica L.: how flower types influence urban residents’ physiological and psychological wellbeing. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1489859. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1489859

[13] Mochizuki-Kawai, H., Matsuda, I., & Mochizuki, S. (2020). Viewing a flower image provides automatic recovery effects after psychological stress. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 70, 101445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101445

[14] Jiang, S., Deng, L., Luo, H., Li, X., Guo, B., Jiang, M., ... & Huang, Z. (2021). Effect of fragrant primula flowers on physiology and psychology in female college students: An empirical study. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 607876. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.607876

[15] Kim, S. M., Park, S., Hong, J. W., Jang, E. J., & Pak, C. H. (2016). Psychophysiological effects of orchid and rose fragrances on humans. Horticultural Science and Technology, 34(3), 472-487. https://doi.org/10.12972/kjhst.20160048

[16] Elsadek, M., & Liu, B. (2021). Effects of viewing flowering plants on employees' wellbeing in an office-like environment. Indoor and built environment, 30(9), 1429-1440. https://doi.org/10.1177/1420326X20942572

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The Language of Flowers

Diamonds may be forever, but before jewellers commercialised our gift-giving customs, we conveyed our feelings through the gifting of flowers. Flower-gifting dates back to our earliest civilisations – before De Beers marketed diamonds as a symbol of love, before Cadbury paired chocolates with Valentine’s Day. We offered flowers to appease and honour the gods, celebrate those who emerged victorious from battle and sport, and express love through courtly romance [1]. In the Victorian era (1837-1901), flowers were gifts that held hidden messages; each flower conveyed different sentiments. The Victorians’ unspoken and sincerest feelings were conveyed through flowers, in a time when society was governed by restrictive social norms and strict etiquette [2]. Roses conveyed either love, friendship, or innocence, depending on their colour – red, yellow, or white. Tulips declared one’s love interest. A white lily whispers, “My love is pure,” but the recipient of a striped carnation would likely be disappointed, knowing that it conveyed a rejection of their romantic advances from their hoped-for lover [3]. The language of flowers and the symbolisms associated with them is termed floriography – how different flowers, their colours, and arrangements hold specific, yet hidden meanings.

Flowers remain a well-loved gift today, thanks to this rich cultural tradition of associating deeper meanings with them. In the United States, the most popular holidays for flower-gifting are Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Christmas [5]. In 2024, Americans spent $25.8 billion on Valentine’s Day celebrations, of which $2.6 billion was spent on flowers alone [6]. With just a touch of marketing creativity, we created a custom of seeing, and gifting flowers as the quintessential gift for our cherished occasions. A quote attributed to Boston adman Patrick O’Keefe states, “There is nothing you can’t say with flowers – when you send flowers, it says everything.” His expression remains a popular marketing slogan among florists today. If you need a gift that conveys more than you can, or know how to say, or when you need to express feelings without words, you could simply “Say it with flowers” [4].

The Psychology of Flower Gifting and Receiving

Psychological research offers another perspective on flower-gifting. Flowers are costly to cultivate – prices for roses come with a 30%-100% markup in Malaysia during Valentine’s Day [7]. Flowers that are seasonal or imported, such as tulips, are often priced higher. From a psychologist’s perspective, however, all flowers are ‘evolutionarily costly’ [8]. For the horticulturalists and floriculturists who grow them, for the florists who arrange them, and to us, the consumers who purchase them. But it is a cost we are often willing to bear. Like the Victorians and our ancestors before, our motivation to purchase and gift flowers is because of underlying psychological needs. These include the need to express love and affection, and in turn, to experience the hope of feeling loved in turn, by our recipient [9]. Flower-gifting helps us experience the kind of psychological states we value and seek more of. The gift of flowers has been shown to elicit genuine ‘Duchenne-type’ smiles in women; receiving a gift of flowers boosts positive mood that lasts at least three days. The same set of studies shows that giving flowers encourages the recipient to act more prosocially – flowers made others kinder and more helpful to others [10].

Research employing more sophisticated measures shows a fascinating connection between flower choice and its psychological effects. For one, we might have long known intuitively that the choice of flower colour tends to have different emotional effects. This is what studies find – orange flowers tended to convey strong, uplifting emotions, while blue flowers elicit calm [11]. And these effects might go beyond simply our admission of how flowers feel – it changes our bodily responses as well. In one study, researchers found that participants who viewed pictures of the Japanese camellia (camellia japonica L.) showed lowered nervousness, anger, and fatigue compared to a control condition that viewed pictures of a landscape featuring rows of shrubs and trees. These changes were observed through measures of the participants’ heart rates, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation [12]. In another study, this time using an fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) device, researchers found that viewing flowers reduced blood pressure and the stress hormone cortisol. The researchers showed through the fMRI that the right amygdala-hippocampus region – the part of the brain that activates when we sense danger – becomes less active when we view flowers [13]. The sight of flowers helps reduce our negative emotions.

Research also shows how the aroma of floral gifts can lead to positive emotional outcomes. A group of researchers exposed a group of female college students to the scent of fairy primrose (Primula malacoides Franch), and another to a non-scented comparison condition of the same flower. Measuring the participants’ blood pressure, pulse rate, and brain activation, the researchers found that those in the scented flower condition showed significantly lower blood pressure and pulse rate, along with activation of brainwaves indicating a state of relaxation compared to those in the non-scented condition [14]. Similarly, one other study by Korean researchers, also using the brainwave-reading device (electroencephalography, EEG), showed that the scent of roses and orchids leads to brainwave changes. They found that the scent of roses led to greater activation of brain waves associated with wakefulness, attentiveness, and cognitive functioning. The scent of orchids, conversely, led to greater activation of brainwaves associated with relaxed alertness and creativity [15]. The calming effect of cool-coloured flowers was also shown in one other study, which asked finance workers to view hydrangea flowers while the researchers assessed their bodily responses. The workers in the flower viewing condition showed greater activation of both parasympathetic nervous activity – the system responsible for calming and resting, and brainwave patterns indicating comfort and relaxation [16]. Simply viewing flowers, these authors suggest, might offer a ‘promising therapeutic approach’ for enhancing well-being among office workers.

A Practical Psychological Suggestion for Flower-Gifting

If these studies are sufficient to convince you to consider picking up a bouquet as a gift, you might want to follow a few recommendations on selecting the best gift for your loved one. Pick flower colours that convey the emotion you wish your recipient to experience. Blue flowers are perfect for inducing relaxation and stress reduction; orange, yellow, and red flowers elicit more uplifting, vibrant emotions; white flowers both relax and uplift [17]. Does your recipient already love nature? Studies show that flowers are especially appreciated and might make for the perfect gift for those who already engage in nature or delight in nature’s presence [18]. Those who engage with natural beauty, or people who have a strong appreciation of beauty, might especially be warmed by a gift of flowers. A gift of flowers speaks to us, and in turn, helps us convey emotions more than words possibly can.

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