Pet owners have always been aware that their animals can make them happy, but recently it's been found they may help them lower stress and improve learning.

The benefits of human-animal interactions (HAI) is largely due to the increase it causes in the hormone oxytocin. A study conducted by “Frontiers in Psychology” on Oxytocin’s role in HAI found spending time with animals can cause an increase in oxytocin levels within minutes. Oxytocin causes the body to relax lowering stress levels, blood pressure and heart rates. According to the study done by “Frontiers in Psychology,” HAI can also cause an, “improvement of immune system functioning and pain management; increased trustworthiness” as well as “trust toward other persons; reduced aggression; enhanced empathy and improved learning.”

For college students particularly, anything that lowers stress/improves learning is a godsend. The act of trying to balance school, work and a social life has left many of us stressed. However, our four-legged friends may offer the counseling and stress relief we need to get us through the rest of the semester. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, has already capitalized on the idea. The University has been bringing therapy dogs on campus for finals in an effort to help students with test anxiety and performance.

Similar programs have been popping up across the country and not just on campuses. Therapy dogs have been used to soothe victims in court, ease the pain of those grieving the loss of loved ones at funerals, calm autistic children and help returning soldiers readjust to society. The benefits of HAI is just beginning to be explored and programs to train therapy animals are a growing industry.

The beauty of HAI is that it’s not one-sided. Oxytocin levels also increased in animals after interacting with people. The effects of oxytocin in animals, specifically dogs, are similar to the ones reported in humans. This means that spending time with your pet, or a trained therapy

dog, is beneficial for those on both sides of the leash.