Footballers prove plants remove stress ... penalties possibly excluded!

Whether preparing for a career-defining job interview or waiting for the referee's first whistle, new research reveals the moments that push the nation’s stress levels to the limit.

A national study commissioned by Plants & Flowers Foundation Holland has ranked the life events and high-stakes scenarios* that trigger peak anxiety. Facing a job interview topped the table (52%), followed closely by having a difficult conversation (50%), giving a presentation or speaking in public (42%), and the tense countdown to playing or watching a crucial sports match (26%).

To counter stress, 32% of respondents cite being outdoors in nature as their most reliable antidote. However, modern lifestyles and changing seasons create a significant barrier: the Brits surveyed spend over 14 hours of their day indoors, and over half (56%) admit they rarely access green spaces during the colder winter months. This indoor confinement is taking a toll with over a third of Brits (38%) reporting that long stretches spent inside make them feel worse. 

When asked which stark indoor spaces they would most like to see made welcoming with living plants, unsurprisingly healthcare waiting rooms (48%), offices (27%), and job interview waiting areas (21%) topped the list.

Because a simple solution to the problem is having more houseplants.  In fact 30% of Brits report that having living houseplants in a room noticeably lowers their stress levels and restores a sense of calm. Trouble is, ‘plant paranoia’ is holding many back, with over a quarter of Brits (27%) put off by buying greenery because they are terrified the plants will die despite their best efforts.

To prove that introducing greenery doesn't have to be a high-stress commitment, Plants & Flowers Foundation Holland is testing the theory in one of the most notoriously stressful indoor environments possible: an elite football changing room.

Partnering with Forest Green Rovers, the world's greenest and first carbon-neutral football club, and sports psychologist Dr Josephine Perry, the initiative aims to show how houseplants can offer wellbeing benefits for professional athletes, while inspiring the public to recreate the same calming effects in their own high-stress rooms at home.

Inside the club's home changing room, a bespoke installation of over sixty houseplants sourced from Holland will be unveiled for International Stress Awareness Week (2 - 6 November) and ahead of the team’s National League fixture against Harrogate Town. Turning a volatile pressure cooker into a green oasis, the takeover provides visual proof of the grounding power of nature: if plants can tame the nerve-wracking atmosphere of a sports dressing room before kick-off, they can easily transform a chaotic home office, study space, or busy living room into a serene sanctuary.

Dr Josephine Perry, Sports Psychologist, said: "Whether you are an athlete in the tunnel before a vital match or an individual stepping into a high-stakes job interview, the biological response to pressure can be powerful as cortisol floods the body to speed up the heart and breathing rate, adds tension to our muscles, blocks access to the logical part of our brain and triggers a loud inner critic. When indoor environments are stark and clinical, that tension amplifies. Living greenery acts as a natural buffer, actively reducing nervous system arousal which helps sharpen our cognitive abilities, allowing us to focus and perform better. Adding greenery to high-pressure spaces is one of the simplest, low-effort and accessible habits anyone can adopt to stay in control when the pressure mounts."

Monique Kemperman, PR and Events Lead at Plants & Flowers Foundation Holland, adds: “The pre-match dressing room is defined by high nerves and intense anticipation. By transforming Forest Green Rovers' changing room with plants, we wanted to showcase the grounding power of nature in an extreme setting. High-pressure moments happen in all our lives, whether we are preparing for exams, managing a tough week at work, or juggling family life. If houseplants can settle the pulse before kick-off, they can help anyone feel better inside and bring calm into their own home.”

Founder of Forest Green Rovers, Dale Vince said: “We know time in nature is good for people, it’s now being prescribed by doctors. We also know time at football games is good for people, as that too is being prescribed by doctors - we pioneered it here at FGR with our Football on Prescription scheme. Plants in offices are well known to boost wellbeing, so why not in a changing room.”

With 39% of survey respondents wanting to greenify a high-stress room in their home this winter, Plants & Flowers Foundation Holland is calling on the nation to transform their most stressful indoor space to ‘Feel the Plant Effect’ for themselves. Florists and garden centres can easily help - and benefit from sales - by pushing the power of plants more and showing customers how easy plant care is;  as the research shows the market is definitely there!

The Top 10 most stressful moments 

Attending a job interview: 52%
Having a difficult conversation: 50%
Giving a presentation or speaking in public: 42%
Waiting for a medical appointment: 41%
Sitting an exam or assessment: 40%
Moving home: 38%
Facing an important work deadline: 37%
Taking a driving test: 34%
Watching a crucial sports match: 15%
Preparing to play in a competitive sports match: 11%

About the study

The research was carried out online by Research Without Barriers (RWB) between 20th October and 23rd October 2026. The sample comprised 2,008 UK adults.

About Plants & Flowers Foundation Holland 

Plants & Flowers Foundation Holland (PFFH) is the consumer marketing and communications expert for plants and flowers. On behalf of growers and traders, PFFH stimulates demand by sharing the positive wellbeing effects of plants and flowers widely across Europe. In doing so, PFFH creates greater visibility and appreciation, and encourages consumers to buy flowers and plants more often.

About Forest Green Rovers

Forest Green Rovers is a professional football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, and recognised by FIFA as the world’s greenest football club. Competing in the National League, FGR has built a reputation that extends well beyond the pitch, placing sustainability, plant-based living, and environmental responsibility at the heart of everything it does. From its vegan matchday menu to its solar-powered stadium, the club uses football as a platform to inspire fans, partners, and communities to make more sustainable choices. FGR believes that sport has a unique power to drive positive change, and that a greener future is something worth playing for.