Plants may reduce stress among studying students

Does it help to have a lot of plants at home when there are some tough exams coming up? The university and hogeschool of Ghent are doing research on this for a year. The project started this week.

The researchers want to know whether plants have a positive effect on the concentration and stress levels of students. To find out, three libraries in Ghent have been transformed into a green oasis, writes Belgian news platform VRT Nieuws.

The effect of the plants is monitored by the university’s faculty of bioscience engineering. “We are going to take a DNA sample from the skin of a hundred students. In the morning and in the evening, so when they start studying and when they finish”, says coordinator Thibaut D’Huyvetter.

Sweat sample

The composition of the bacteria on the skin can be an indication of the stress level of the students. In addition to this ‘sweat sample’, the students are given questionnaires. In each library, there is also a study room without greenery, so that the results can be compared.

It will take a while before students know whether it is beneficial to buy a lot of plants. First, all DNA material must be collected and analysed. The results of the study are expected in about a year’s time.