MAKING a change from the usual student stress-reduction techniques, such as mindfulness meditation, black market Xanax or an afternoon at the campus bar, Thai researchers are proposing some furry, four-legged fun.
They asked 122 students to report how stressed they felt before and after playing with a dog for 15 minutes, and measured the students' blood pressure, heart rate and the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva.
After playing with the dogs, the students felt less stressed, and their heart rates and cortisol levels decreased.
To be clear, the dogs were "friendly dogs" - playing with hungry pit bull or a chihuahua with size issues might not have the same effect.
To see if the dogs also benefitted, the team measured cortisol levels in their saliva and poo before and after meeting the students.
Cortisol levels in the dogs' saliva weren't affected by the interaction, but levels in the animals' poo increased, which the researchers say is likely because they were excited rather than stressed.
"Friendly dogs could be a valuable addition to university stress management programs," the authors concluded.
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