The Pendulum - Four-legged friendships create necessary stress relief for students

The Pendulum - Four-legged friendships create necessary stress relief for students

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is studying the effects of animals on stress. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that animals do help with stress relief. Many people in the article feel they have proof.

And I know many, many people who swear that having pets makes them happy and makes them feel better.

However, having an animal does not reduce stress for everyone. Sorry to the believers, but for me, animals have always added to my stress levels. I liked my animals, I guess, but the fur, the barking/meowing, the destruction of furniture, and the excrement all have me swearing: no more animals!

So, my question is does stress relief with animals only work if people are already an "animal person"?