Plants provide people with food, clothes, shelter, medicine and oxygen. That's no surprise. But plants bring other, less obvious benefits. In a fast-track, high-tech, computerized world, where would we be without the tranquillity, freshness and beauty of flowers and plants? Now research has proven what we have long suspected-plants are linked to human well-being.

In April 1990, researchers from horticulture, environmental science and social science gathered with educators, planners and funding agencies to look at people-plant interaction. Here's what research about flowers and plants has shown:

Behavior Modification - People communicate better in the presence of flowers or plants. Plants improve work habits and attitudes in the office. People tend to eat more food, more slowly when flowers are on the table. Many companies have used these findings to improve goods and services, too. For example, hotels that use "plantscaping" have reported increased sales, restaurants use flowers to slow down or hasten meal consumption, and flowers and plants at theme parks foster enjoyment.

Psychological Benefits - At a funeral, flowers symbolize the comfort senders and survivors want to share. Flowers act as a diversion or starting point for conversation. They restore people from mental fatigue, promote intergenerational bonding and enhance self-esteem.

Pollution Control - Certain species of potted plants, as well as the growing mix associated with these plants, remove certain pollutants from the atmosphere.

Relative Humidity Modification- Placing foliage plants in a room significantly increases humidity, promoting comfort and reducing some ill effects of dry air, such as common colds.

Stress Reduction- Individuals working with plants and flowers enjoy reduced stress, as measured by decreased blood pressures and pulse rates.

Therapeutic Influences- One study showed that patients with a window view of trees and plants had shorter, happier hospital stays and took fewer painkillers than patients who had only a brick wall view. Plants and flowers have been used as a prescriptive treatment for the disabled, too. In another study, plants were used to improve the self-concept of prison inmates. Others used native plants to help immigrants adjust to a new environment. Plants have even been shown to relax psychiatric ward patients.