As college students, stress, anxiety and homesickness are often a staple of daily life, but research shows that spending time with animals can ease those negative feelings by providing a variety of physical and mental benefits.
An article in Sage Journals by two researchers and professors at Washington State University, Patricia Pendry and Jaymie L. Vandagriff, said AVPs (Animal Visitation Programs) on college campuses can provide students with more moments of positive emotions, less stress-related negative emotions and overall improvements in mood.
Leo Rojas, a BGSU student studying early childhood education, frequently attends BGSU’s PAWS Therapy Dog events and has noticed spending time with the dogs is a welcome break from studying.
“I love the dogs – they definitely make my day better,” said Rojas.
Ashley Hartman, a health educator in BGSU’s Office of Health and Wellness and staff manager of the PAWS Program, said that interacting with an animal for as briefly as 15 minutes can have a positive impact on mental and physical health.
“Some of the health benefits: lower cortisol levels, lower stress response, can lower blood pressure and heart rate, increase relief of Oxytocin, stimulate dopamine in the brain, lower pain intensity…” said Hartman. “Some other pieces are decreasing anxiety levels, decreased feelings of depression, and even better executive functioning.”
Hartman also said researchers have found spending time with animals can comfort students away at college by easing homesickness. Whether students are missing pets from home or family members, spending time and touching animals can help relieve those feelings of loneliness.
Freshman environmental science student Arlo Healy lives on campus; away from pets and family at home. To ease homesickness, Healy goes to PAWS events and likes to spend time with the dogs that look the most like pets from home.
Students also may find that going to animal-visiting events or places will further connect them to a community and like-minded people. This decreases the feeling of isolation and increases the feeling of belonging.
“Loneliness is not just a college student problem, it is a national issue. So anything that can bring people together, I think, is going to have a positive impact,” said Hartman.
Additionally, according to Hartman and researchers, students might find that spending a couple of minutes with an animal during stress-inducing times, like finals week, will make them more focused and increase retention while also lowering their stress levels.
The PAWS team hosts a variety of events where students can spend time with the dogs, including a study hour from 3 to 4 p.m. every Wednesday in the Market at Jerome Library or from 5 to 6 p.m. every Monday at the Student Recreation Center.
Not a dog person? Downtown BG has Tabby and Fidos Cat Cafe where cats roam free and customers can interact with them. People can enjoy a drink in the separate cafe area with a view of the cat lounge or pay an admission fee of $8 to $12 to spend 30-50 minutes inside the cat lounge.
Tabby and Fidos also offer special events like sound baths and cat yoga for $20. For these events and for the cat lounge, it is recommended that people book in advance as they can fill up.
