MAN'S BEST FRIEND, COLLEGE STUDENT'S SECRET WEAPON

Abstract

Students in college are stressed for many reasons, such as struggles in finances, time management, academic pressure, and preparing for life after college. In order to succeed, there are multiple methods that students use to reduce this stress and minimize the potential effects of their stress on their learning and academic work. Physiologically, stress causes increased cortisol which has the possibility to inhibit learning and success in academics. A survey of STEM and Non-STEM undergraduate University of Arizona students shows that there are multiple preferred ways to reduce stress including practicing mindfulness, working out, or connecting with friends and family. A majority of student respondents also indicated that interaction with dogs would be a plausible method to mitigate stress. Recommendations from the trends in data suggest that access and frequency of therapy dog interactions for students can improve their lives, reducing stress and possibly cortisol levels, leading to improved learning and academic success.