Hi Friends,

Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed sad, grumpy, blocked, or worn out, this one small thing lifts my mood every time.

F L O W E R S !!

Receiving them is great but I also love growing them and walking by them in the neighbourhood. And going on a stroll through wildflowers doesn’t cost a thing.

I recently learned from Tamika that flowers are empirically proven to induce *the Duchenne smile (a fully genuine smile). This study is fascinating!

Imagine getting flowers from a delivery guy who is actually a research assistant recording your facial expression as you receive a gift. Researcher Jeanette Haviland-Jones discovered that when women receive flowers, candles, or fruit baskets, the flower recipients are by far the happiest. Her 2005 study also found that 100% of the flower recipients still felt happier 3 days after being gifted.

I love me some fruit and candles but I really feel the pull of the petals! 

Recently Candice, Tamika, and I stepped away from our to-do lists to get our bloom on together. I hope our smiles are contagious because my deepest wish is to pollinate your life with joy!

All my love,
Carolyn

*The Duchenne smile is named after Guillaume Duchenne de Boulogne, a French anatomist who studied many different expressions of emotion, focusing particularly on the smile of pure enjoyment. He identified the facial movements that make this smile different from other types of smiles. Psychologists consider the Duchenne smile the sole indicator of true enjoyment.