Florists Nationwide 'Petal It Forward,' Spreading Random Acts of Kindness

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, florists in more than 400 cities nationwide (in all 50 states, as well as D.C.) are surprising unsuspecting passersby in their local communities with two free flower bouquets each – one to keep and one to give to a friend, family member, colleague, or even a stranger. The random-acts-of-kindness effort, called Petal It Forward and organized by the Society of American Florists (SAF), is designed to help people start their day with more smiles and less stress, illustrating new research from the University of North Florida (UNF) that shows living with flowers reduces stress.

"Petal It Forward is the floral industry's way of giving back," said Jennifer Sparks, SAF's Vice President of Marketing, citing the nationwide effort was purposefully planned for a Wednesday to help the mid-week slump. "Through the positive effects of flowers, we hope to make someone's day brighter, and provide a much-needed moment of calm amidst the hectic pace of life," she added.

The research findings on flowers and stress relief, and the need for mood-boosting gestures, seem timely: A survey by Wakefield Research in July showed that 68 percent of Americans experience stress weekly, and 32 percent report feeling stressed daily. Women are even more affected, with 25 percent reporting feeling stress multiple times a day.

While the findings on stress are new, Petal It Forward is not. SAF has spearheaded the nationwide effort once a year since 2015, utilizing "the generosity of flower growers, wholesalers and florists." Sparks says the original idea behind the 'keep one, share one' concept came after looking at statistics that showed while 80 percent of people reported receiving flowers makes them happy, even more (88 percent) said that giving flowers makes them happy. "We wanted to give people the chance to experience both," said Sparks. "Giving flowers is a gesture of connection. One that can bring people – even strangers – closer together. And isn't that what random acts of kindness are all about?"

In addition to the new research on stress, previous behavioral studies conducted by Rutgers and Harvard scientifically demonstrate the positive impact flowers have on emotional well-being. For information on the effects of flowers on stress research, visit aboutflowers.com/stressless. For research on all of the health benefits of flowers, visit aboutflowers.com/research.

SOURCE Society of American Florists