The Meaning of Flowers: A Cultural and Perceptual Exploration of Ornamental Flowers

Abstract

Background:Since ancient times people have been attracted by flowers and have invested precious energy to cultivate them even though there is no known reward for this costly behavior-in all cultures. How can this attraction be understood? To what extend is this relationship between people and flowers made up of evolutionary, cognitive, perceptual, emotional or socio-cultural components? Does it shift within different cultures? How can we better understand the attraction of people to flowers on both a cultural and universal level? Many questions in this field remain open. Objective:To understand culturally constructed versus universal-perceptual components of the attraction of people to flowers. To explore how different types of cultivated flowers (with different perceptual elements) are conceptualized within a specific culture. Methods:Using mixed methods, we investigated the comparative preference of 150 participants for four visually different flowers. We explored the reasons for the preferred choice of flower. Based on the above first phase, we investigated participants' perceptions of the concept of a generic 'flower' and compared this to a mandala. Based on this second phase, we moved into cultural, perceptual and psychological theories using a concept-map, to access cultural understandings of specific flowers. Results:All four different flowers were equally chosen as first choice and therefore we introduced the generic or universal concept of 'floweriness' that was characterized by enhancing calmness and happiness.On this level, the concept of the flower ranked higher for inducing happiness as compared to a mandala shape that induced more interest. The other three flowers were ranked and differentiated in terms of the cultural connotations that their different visual components aroused, within the context of Israeli culture. Conclusion:The results illustrate the interactive synergetic interplay between universal perceptual and specific cultural elements in relation to specific flowers. Together with this differentiation, the results also point to a central concept of "floweriness" that transcends the specific cultural connotations of specific flowers.

Humans’ Relationship to Flowers as an Example of the Multiple Components of Embodied Aesthetics

“…Our aim in this study is to further deepen our understanding of the specific interaction between humans and flowers as embodying a positive experience of its own. In our first paper [ 29 ], we compared mandalas to flowers in terms of the types of reactions they evoked. We found that, while mandalas were described by the participants as arousing more perceptual interest, flowers created more feelings of happiness.…”

“…The 120 participants were then asked to choose from among the four black and white pictures of flowers and to provide unstructured written explanations for their first choice. As for analytical strategy, we counted the different preferences in flowers and, interestingly, found that the four flower types were equally distributed in terms of first choice [ 29 ].…”

“…These associations were divided into central themes. The main finding was that flowers were associated with the words ‘pretty’ and ‘make me happy’ [ 29 ].…”

“…This peer analysis also created reliability. As stated, this research section was part of a larger study that included additional data analyses (see [ 29 ]).…”

Drawing on the Arts to Enhance Salutogenic Coping With Health-Related Stress and Loss

“…It is also different from fine art that is focused on the product rather than the process. Art, as described above, including process, product, and interpretation, becomes an embodied aesthetic experience but also a broad phenomenological space for embodying and concretizing a person’s meaning, manageability, and comprehensibility in a single ‘coherent’ art work ( Huss et al, 2017 ).…”