Don't let cool weather get you down: Brighten your day with fresh flowers. A behavioral research study conducted by Nancy Etcoff, Ph.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, reveals that people feel more compassionate toward others, have less worry and anxiety, and feel less depressed when fresh flowers are present in the home.

“Other research has proven that flowers make people happy when they receive them,” Etcoff says. “What we didn’t know is that spending a few days with flowers in the home can affect a wide variety of feelings.”

Rebecca Cole is the author of “Flower Power” and co-host of Discovery Channel's “Surprise by Design.” “The Harvard research is proof that if we live in places that lift our spirits, we can live happier, healthier lives,” Cole says. “Fresh flowers are the perfect everyday accessory for any budget – they add color, fragrance and style – and now we know they even increase energy and compassion.”

Vanessa Diffenbaugh's novel "The Language of Flowers" tells the story of Victoria, a young woman from the foster-care system who uses the Victorian language of flowers to communicate with others and make sense of her troubled past.

Diffenbaugh created Victoria's Flower Dictionary by reviewing several dictionaries - "The Flower Vase" by Miss S. C. Edgarton, "Language of Flowers" by Kate Greenaway, "The Language and Sentiment of Flowers" by James D. McCabe, and "Flora's Lexicon" by Catharine H. Waterman - and scanning the meanings, selecting the definition that occurred most often or she liked the best.

"My goal was to create a usable, relevant dictionary for modern readers, Diffenbaugh said. "I deleted plants from the Victorian dictionaries that are no longer common, and added flowers that were rarely used in the 1800s but are more popular today."