Finals week is a very stressful time for college students. No one wants their grades to drop after a whole semesters worth of work. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), about 80% of college students experience high levels of stress. Many universities try to help reduce student’s stress by giving out free food, having extra fitness classes, and providing activities for students to participate in during their study breaks. It has also become quite common for universities to bring puppies to campus during this stressful week!

Puppies are extremely cute and most people on campus would of course want to pet a little puppy. But, why do campuses bring them during finals week? Do they actually help reduce the stress of students?

Studies do show that interaction with puppies helps depression, lessens anxiety, and affects the levels of stress hormones cortisol and oxytocin. Petting and playing with puppies increases a human’s level of oxytocin, which is a hormone that reduces anxiety and blood pressure. Students become less anxious when interacting with a puppy because it diverts their attention. In addition, research shows that playing with a puppy decreases the stress hormone cortisol and increases the happiness hormone, endorphins.

In a study analyzing the psychosocial and psychological effects of human-animal interactions, researchers proposed that oxytocin plays a major role in making human and animal interaction beneficial for stress relief. After reviewing 69 studies (meta-analysis), the researchers found that being around a pet, such as a puppy, has many benefits- mood, stress, heart rate, fear and anxiety, mental and physical health, etc and were able to conclude that that pets do have a positive effect on humans. One of the studies provided direct evidence that interaction with a dog positively affected endocrine responses. The specific study compared the effects of 20 minutes of quiet rest to 5 to 20 minute interaction with a dog. Before, during, and after the interaction or rest time, cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine were collected. The data showed that cortisol levels (stress levels) were significantly reduced. In another study that was reviewed in this study, it was documented that the levels of oxytocin, prolactin, phenylacetic acid, and dopamine were significantly increased after 5 to 24 min of petting a puppy.

Last year at Penn State, Schreyer Honors College had a program called “Pause for Paws”, which was a pet therapy session that let students come play with dogs. The Student Health Center also had a “Fun For Finals” event last year that gave students the chance to play with puppies! Make sure to check the activity calendar this year before finals to see where the puppies will be. Petting the puppies will not only be a great study break, but it will also help you reduce your anxiety about finals!

If you need a break from studying, here is a video of puppies! ‘Too Cute’: Finals Week Cuteness (VIDEO) – Huffington Post

Sources

http://videos.huffingtonpost.com/too-cute-finals-week-cuteness-517764409

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/19/health/students-therapy-dogs/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408111/

http://dogtime.com/trending/16319-top-8-health-benefits-of-having-a-pet

http://dogtime.com/trending/16765-puppy-room-to-help-stressed-out-college-students

http://onwardstate.com/2013/04/24/the-sad-truth-about-penn-states-finals-week-puppy-room/

http://onwardstate.com/2013/04/26/puppies-for-finals-week-ask-and-you-shall-receive/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/12/colleges-turn-to-dogs-to-help-finals-stress_n_1512156.html

http://www.usnews.com/education/articles/2009/12/16/colleges-try-to-take-the-stress-out-of-finals

http://swingingbridge.messiah.edu/2015/05/student-stress-during-finals-week/