Can Touching Dirt Make You Happy? A Major Survey on Everyone's Gardening Habits!! [1000-Person Questionnaire]
Navit Co., Ltd. conducted a survey of 1,000 people revealing that about half are interested in gardening. It highlights scientific evidence that soil bacteria promote serotonin secretion, improving mood, while also identifying bugs and weeds as main struggles.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 25, 2026 at 06:02
- 🔍 Collected: April 24, 2026 at 21:32
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 22:07 (34 min after Collected)
The Scientific Reason Why Gardening is Good for the Mind
Watering potted plants on the balcony or pulling weeds in the yard on your days off. Have you ever felt a vague sense of "feeling good" doing this?
Actually, that feeling is not just your imagination; it has proper scientific backing.
First, we should focus on a bacterium living in the soil called "Mycobacterium vaccae." The name might sound a bit scary, but research by the University of Colorado in the US has revealed that touching this bacterium through the skin or inhaling it stimulates the secretion of serotonin, the so-called "happiness hormone," in the brain.
In other words, our bodies are built with a mechanism that naturally lifts our mood just by playing with dirt.
Furthermore, a study published in a nursing academic journal in 2009 reported that the depressive symptoms of subjects who continued gardening for 12 weeks improved, and the effects lasted even 3 months later. By immersing themselves in gardening, they could divert their attention from worries, and the level of cortisol, a stress hormone, also decreased.
A research team at Chiba University also confirmed that spending just 30 minutes in nature lowers cortisol and improves heart rate and blood pressure.
Navit conducted a questionnaire survey on "gardening" targeting 1,000 monitor members nationwide, mainly housewives.
- Survey Period: February 2026
- Survey Organization: Navit Co., Ltd.
- Survey Target: Men and women in their 20s to 80s
- Number of Valid Responses: 1,000
- Survey Method: Web
About Half Are Interested in Gardening
[Survey]
How interested are you in gardening (making gardens, balcony vegetable gardens, growing houseplants, etc.)? (Target: 1,000 people)
This is a survey asking about interest in gardening. 13.9% answered "very interested," and 35.1% answered "interested," totaling 49.0%. It was found that almost half of the people are interested in gardening.
About 30% Currently Garden
[Survey]
Are you currently gardening? (Target: 1,000 people)
This is a survey on whether they are currently gardening. 27.5% answered "currently doing it," 28.5% "used to do it in the past," and 44.0% "have never done it." Combining those currently doing it and those who used to do it, it shows that 56.0%, more than half, have experience with gardening.
An Overwhelming Majority Grow Flowers and Houseplants
[Survey]
What kind of gardening do you do (or did you do)? (Target: 1,000 people) *1,717 total answers
We received multiple answers. The most common was "growing flowers and houseplants" with 426 people, followed by "growing vegetables and herbs" with 300, and "caring for garden trees" with 149. Personally, I was surprised that there are people doing full-fledged DIY gardening, with 42 people "building fences" and 36 people "laying paving stones."
The Biggest Reason for Gardening is "Because I Like Plants"
[Survey]
What is the reason you garden (or gardened)? (Target: 1,000 people) *1,429 total answers
This is a survey on reasons for gardening. The most common reason was "because I like plants" with 291 people, followed by "to be healed/comforted" with 237, and "as a hobby" with 214. This connects to the story introduced at the beginning that "gardening is good for the mind." It seems many people garden seeking healing.
Bugs and Weeds Are the Two Major Problems
This time, we conducted a free-response question asking, "Please tell us if you have any memories or problems related to gardening." Let's pick up some of the answers exactly as they were written.
"I tried growing vegetables without pesticides, but they were covered in bugs and I couldn't eat them."
"When I was a full-time housewife, my balcony was full of green and lush, and I was able to care for it so that flowers bloomed every season. But after my children grew up and I started working, I couldn't keep up with the care and they withered. I want to try to have a life with a little more room to breathe."
"I thought the flowers were pretty and cute, so I planted lilies of the valley in my garden. But when I looked up what to do after the flowers finished, I learned it's a plant with very strong reproductive power. When I dug it up, I was surprised to find the roots had spread over a wide area. So I put it in a pot."
In the free responses this time, it was impressive that the content written by those who provided specific problems was very dense. The overwhelmingly most common problems were related to "bugs," followed by "weeds." Even with a desire to enjoy gardening, bugs and weeds stand as the "two major enemies."
Watering potted plants on the balcony or pulling weeds in the yard on your days off. Have you ever felt a vague sense of "feeling good" doing this?
Actually, that feeling is not just your imagination; it has proper scientific backing.
First, we should focus on a bacterium living in the soil called "Mycobacterium vaccae." The name might sound a bit scary, but research by the University of Colorado in the US has revealed that touching this bacterium through the skin or inhaling it stimulates the secretion of serotonin, the so-called "happiness hormone," in the brain.
In other words, our bodies are built with a mechanism that naturally lifts our mood just by playing with dirt.
Furthermore, a study published in a nursing academic journal in 2009 reported that the depressive symptoms of subjects who continued gardening for 12 weeks improved, and the effects lasted even 3 months later. By immersing themselves in gardening, they could divert their attention from worries, and the level of cortisol, a stress hormone, also decreased.
A research team at Chiba University also confirmed that spending just 30 minutes in nature lowers cortisol and improves heart rate and blood pressure.
Navit conducted a questionnaire survey on "gardening" targeting 1,000 monitor members nationwide, mainly housewives.
- Survey Period: February 2026
- Survey Organization: Navit Co., Ltd.
- Survey Target: Men and women in their 20s to 80s
- Number of Valid Responses: 1,000
- Survey Method: Web
About Half Are Interested in Gardening
[Survey]
How interested are you in gardening (making gardens, balcony vegetable gardens, growing houseplants, etc.)? (Target: 1,000 people)
This is a survey asking about interest in gardening. 13.9% answered "very interested," and 35.1% answered "interested," totaling 49.0%. It was found that almost half of the people are interested in gardening.
About 30% Currently Garden
[Survey]
Are you currently gardening? (Target: 1,000 people)
This is a survey on whether they are currently gardening. 27.5% answered "currently doing it," 28.5% "used to do it in the past," and 44.0% "have never done it." Combining those currently doing it and those who used to do it, it shows that 56.0%, more than half, have experience with gardening.
An Overwhelming Majority Grow Flowers and Houseplants
[Survey]
What kind of gardening do you do (or did you do)? (Target: 1,000 people) *1,717 total answers
We received multiple answers. The most common was "growing flowers and houseplants" with 426 people, followed by "growing vegetables and herbs" with 300, and "caring for garden trees" with 149. Personally, I was surprised that there are people doing full-fledged DIY gardening, with 42 people "building fences" and 36 people "laying paving stones."
The Biggest Reason for Gardening is "Because I Like Plants"
[Survey]
What is the reason you garden (or gardened)? (Target: 1,000 people) *1,429 total answers
This is a survey on reasons for gardening. The most common reason was "because I like plants" with 291 people, followed by "to be healed/comforted" with 237, and "as a hobby" with 214. This connects to the story introduced at the beginning that "gardening is good for the mind." It seems many people garden seeking healing.
Bugs and Weeds Are the Two Major Problems
This time, we conducted a free-response question asking, "Please tell us if you have any memories or problems related to gardening." Let's pick up some of the answers exactly as they were written.
"I tried growing vegetables without pesticides, but they were covered in bugs and I couldn't eat them."
"When I was a full-time housewife, my balcony was full of green and lush, and I was able to care for it so that flowers bloomed every season. But after my children grew up and I started working, I couldn't keep up with the care and they withered. I want to try to have a life with a little more room to breathe."
"I thought the flowers were pretty and cute, so I planted lilies of the valley in my garden. But when I looked up what to do after the flowers finished, I learned it's a plant with very strong reproductive power. When I dug it up, I was surprised to find the roots had spread over a wide area. So I put it in a pot."
In the free responses this time, it was impressive that the content written by those who provided specific problems was very dense. The overwhelmingly most common problems were related to "bugs," followed by "weeds." Even with a desire to enjoy gardening, bugs and weeds stand as the "two major enemies."