Feeling like you’re going crazy at work? Chinese employees have found a strange solution.
A workplace trend with the quirky name “Stop Banana Green” is gaining widespread attention in China, where corporate employees are growing bananas at their desks to combat workplace stress and boost productivity.
But how does this trend help burned-out employees? Let’s take a closer look.
What is the “Stop Banana Green” practice?
The trend gets its creative name from the Chinese phrase “stop worrying,” which literally means “stop worrying” in English.
To begin, employees purchase green bananas with the stem still attached and plant them in a vase of water on their desk. After about a week of tending, the bananas will ripen from green to a sunny yellow and be ready to eat. This simple yet therapeutic process has been widely embraced in China.
“From lush landscapes to golden hues, every moment is filled with infinite hope and wonder.” South China Morning Post He quoted one internet user, who added: “If you eat your worries away, they will go away.”
Supporting the effectiveness of this habit, a 2020 Japanese study found that people who kept a small plant at their desk had lower levels of anxiety and stress. In the study, 63 full-time desk-working employees were instructed over a four-week period to take a three-minute break whenever they felt “tired” to tend to, water, and admire a plant on their desk.
The “Stop Banana Green” trend started on Xiaohongshu, China’s version of Instagram, where a post about the unique banana-growing hobby has garnered more than 22,000 likes.
Conversation starters
Employees say following the trend is a fun way to distract themselves from work pressures, while also helping to improve relationships at the workplace.
“Desktop bananas naturally generate conversation,” said one online observer. South Carolina The report adds that sharing bananas with coworkers fosters camaraderie, and some people even personalize their bananas by inscribing a colleague’s name into the peel as a playful way to “reserve” bananas before distributing them.
The tabletop banana craze has also spread to Taobao, a popular e-commerce platform run by Alibaba Group. Numerous stores are now selling bananas adapted for the purpose, with a single best-selling banana selling for more than 20,000 bunches. The surge in demand has raised suspicions that banana farmers may have started the craze as a strategic marketing tactic to boost sales during the economic downturn.
“Are bananas selling poorly this year? I’ve seen this variety of bananas advertised many times, but it’s more expensive than buying it directly,” commented one skeptical Xiaohongshu user.
It is noteworthy that in addition to growing bananas, some young experts also grow pineapples in vases.
Desk Garden
This trend has proven to not only bring people closer to their coworkers, but also to their work.
A female worker in her 30s surnamed Yang said, SCMP, “My workstation looks like a rainforest and it feels like spring has arrived early,” she said, adding that she plans to grow fruit on her desk and has more on the way.
Explaining the trend to Shanghai’s Youth News, psychologist Yu Guangrui said: “Customizing their workstations to suit their personal preferences can help young people feel a sense of belonging and security in their own small spaces, making them happier at work.”
Last month, a trend known as the “20-minute park effect” also took off across the country, as urban office workers discovered that even a short trip to a city park improved their health and happiness.
Last year, young people in China adopted tree-hugging as a way to reduce workplace anxiety.
With the average working week in China exceeding 49 hours, and obvious violations of labor laws, many are calling the situation in China “modern slavery.” In this hectic culture, exhausted young professionals are looking for relaxing escapes, and growing fruit at their desks is definitely one of them.
Information provided by the institution
